ObjectiveTo investigate the metabolic alterations of serum short chain fatty acids （SCFAs） in pediatric patients with atopic dermatitis （AD） and their correlation with different clinical phenotypes using targeted metabolomics. MethodsThis study enrolled 87 AD patients and 67 healthy controls （HC）. Serum levels of eight SCFAs were quantified by ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. The associations between SCFAs and AD were assessed using various statistical methods. ResultsCompared with the HC group， levels of acetic acid （AA）， propionic acid （PA）， and caproic acid （CA） （P=0.002，P=0.002，P=0.043） decreased in the AD group. Logistic regression analysis identified AA （OR=0.449， 95% CI： 0.289–0.698） and PA （OR = 0.487， 95% CI： 0.324–0.732） as protective factors against AD. The combination of AA and PA yielded an area under the curve （AUC） greater than 0.7， indicating good diagnostic efficacy. Age-stratified analysis revealed that AA reduction was predominant in childhood， whereas PA reduction was predominant in adolescence. Pathway enrichment analysis showed significant enrichment of fatty acid biosynthesis （FDR=0.341， P=0.003） and vitamin K metabolism （FDR=1， P=0.039） pathways. Furthermore， subgroup analyses based on disease severity， personal/family history of atopy， and sex revealed no significant differences in SCFAs levels among the groups. ConclusionDifferential serum SCFAs and their enriched metabolic pathways may be implicated in the pathogenesis of AD.

Objective To explore the potential clinical value of the ratio of glycated albumin to albumin(GA/ALB)in the occurrence of heart failure(HF)among patients with coronary atherosclerotic heart disease(CHD).Methods A total of 337 CHD patients admitted to the Department of Cardiology in Shanxi Provincial People's Hospital from July 2023 to June 2024 were selected in this study.CHD patients were divided into HF group and non-HF group based on whether they progressed to HF.The clinical data and laboratory parame-ters of the two groups were compared.Restricted cubic spline curve was used to analyze the relationship be-tween GA/ALB levels and the risk of HF in CHD patients.Receiver operating characteristic curve was applied to evaluate the diagnostic efficacy of GA/ALB,GA,platelet to lymphocyte ratio(PLR),and monocyte to lym-phocyte ratio(MLR)in CHD patients with the occurrence of HF.Logistic regression was used to explore the relationship between serum GA/ALB levels and the risk of CHD patients occurrence of HF,and to analyze the degree of influence and stability of subgroup variables on results.Results There were statistically significant differences in GA/ALB,GA,PLR,MLR,and other indicators between the HF group and the non-HF group in CHD patients(P＜0.05).A non-linear relationship was observed between GA/ALB levels and the risk of HF in CHD patients.When the value of GA/ALB multiplied by 10 was less than 5.751,the risk of HF in CHD pa-tients increased with the increase of GA/ALB levels(P＜0.001).GA/ALB was an effective predictor for HF occurrence in CHD patients.Multivariable Logistic regression model showed that GA/ALB was an independ-ent risk factor for CHD patients with occurrence of HF.Subgroup analysis also confirmed the stability of GA/ALB in predicting the occurrence of HF in CHD patients.Conclusion GA/ALB is an independent risk factor for the occurrence of HF in CHD patients,and monitoring GA/ALB levels provides predictive value for the oc-currence of HF in these patients.

Objectives:To investigate the physical growth status of pediatric patients with transfusion-dependent thalassemia (TDT) and analyze the effects of treatment-related and socioeconomic factors on physical growth.Methods:Based on the specialized thalassemia database from gene therapy clinical research at the Institute of Hematology & Hospital of Blood Diseases, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, we collected data on height and weight development, family economic status, and medical records of 338 pediatric patients with TDT from October 2023 to May 2024. The length/height-for-age and body mass index (BMI) -for-age were classified based on the Growth Standard for Children under 7 Years of Age, Standard for Height Level Classification among Children and Adolescents Aged 7-18 Years, and Dietary Guidelines for Chinese Residents. Logistic regression analysis was conducted to assess the effects of family economic status and disease-related treatment on length/height-for-age and BMI-for-age.Results:Among the 338 patients, 118 were children and 220 were adolescents (192 males and 146 females), with a median age of 12 years (range: 0.8-18) and a median diagnosis duration of 10.3 years (range: 0.5-17.9). Subtypes included α-thalassemia [21 cases (6.2%) ], β-thalassemia [288 cases (85.2%) ], and combined αβ-thalassemia[29 cases (8.6%) ]. The monthly household income of patients was concentrated in 3 000-5 000 yuan (39.9%) and 5 001-10 000 yuan (34.9%), whereas 67.2% of the families had monthly medical expenses of <3 000 yuan. Of the patients, 75.5% received their first transfusion before 1 year of age. The proportions of children and adolescents with pretransfusion hemoglobin (HGB) of ≤70 g/L were 4.2% and 6.4%, respectively. Adolescents demonstrated significantly higher rates of transfusion frequency of <4 weeks/session, monthly red blood cell infusion of >2 U, serum ferritin (SF) of ≥5 000 μg/L, iron chelation therapy, and splenectomy compared with children (all P<0.05). Of the 338 patients, 26.0%, 22.8%, and 8.9% demonstrated stunted growth, underweight, and concurrent stunted growth with underweight, respectively. No significant difference was observed in the stunted growth rates between children (22.9%) and adolescents (27.7%) ( P=0.402). However, the underweight rate in adolescents (26.8%) was significantly higher than that in children (15.3%) ( P=0.023). The multivariate analysis determined the following risk factors for stunted growth: monthly household income of <10 000 yuan (5 001-10 000 yuan: OR=5.49, 95% CI: 1.48-35.76; 3 000-5 000 yuan: OR=6.87, 95% CI: 1.88-44.60; <3 000 yuan: OR=9.29, 95% CI: 2.20-64.77), pretransfusion HGB of ≤70 g/L ( OR=3.25, 95% CI: 1.07-10.18), and SF of ≥5 000 μg/L ( OR = 3.04, 95% CI: 1.20-7.70). Longer diagnostic duration was associated with underweight ( OR=1.10, 95% CI: 1.01-1.20) . Conclusions:Children and adolescents with TDT with pretransfusion SF of ≥5 000 μg/L, HGB of ≤70 g/L, low monthly household income, or longer diagnosis duration were significantly more likely to experience delayed physical growth.

Objective:To investigate differences in serum lipid profiles between patients with dermatomyositis (DM) and healthy controls.Methods:A retrospective analysis was conducted on the clinical data and serum samples collected from 51 patients with DM who visited the First Affiliated Hospital, Anhui Medical University from September 2020 to January 2022. Serum samples were also collected from 66 healthy controls during the same period. Serum lipid profiles were analyzed using ultra-performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry in both groups. Differential lipids were screened using principal component analysis and orthogonal partial least squares-discriminant analysis. The predictive value of these differential lipids for DM was evaluated by receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis, and their correlations with clinical indicators were also evaluated.Results:A total of 51 patients with DM were enrolled, including 27 males and 24 females, with ages ( M[ Q1, Q3]) of 55.00 (47.00, 66.00) years and body mass index (BMI) values of 22.64 (19.79, 24.75) . The control group included 66 healthy individuals (33 males and 33 females) , with ages of 51.00 (43.75, 56.00) years and BMI values of 23.60 (21.18, 25.19) . No significant differences were observed between the two groups in terms of sex, age, or BMI (all P > 0.05) . A total of 341 lipid metabolites were identified, and 16 lipid metabolites such as ceramides (Cer) , sphingomyelins, phosphatidylcholines (PC) , phosphatidylethanolamines, lysophosphatidylcholines (LPC) , and triglycerides (TG) significantly differed between the DM group and the control group, of which 8 were upregulated and 8 were downregulated in the DM group. ROC curve analysis identified 7 differential lipids with area under the curve (AUC) values of > 0.9, of which 2 were Cer, 3 were TG, 1 was phosphatidylethanolamine, and 1 was LPC. In the DM patients, serum LPC (22∶1) levels were negatively correlated with creatine kinase isoenzyme MB levels ( r = -0.276, P < 0.05) , serum PC (15∶1/16∶0) levels were negatively correlated with aspartate aminotransferase levels ( r = -0.305, P < 0.05) , and serum Cer (d18∶1/18∶0) levels were positively correlated with C-reactive protein levels ( r = 0.283, P < 0.05) . Significant differences in serum lipid levels were observed between some DM subgroups (all P < 0.05) : sphingomyelin (d24∶0) levels significantly differed between anti-Sj?gren syndrome type A/Ro52 antibody-positive and -negative DM patients; LPC (17∶1) levels significantly differed between anti-PM-SCL75 antibody-positive and -negative DM patients; LPC (20∶0) and PC (32∶1p) levels significantly differed between anti-Mi-2 antibody-positive and -negative DM patients; LPC (22∶1) and TG (9∶0/9∶0/9∶0) levels significantly differed between anti-TIF1-γ antibody-positive and -negative DM patients; Cer (d18∶1/18∶0) levels significantly differed between DM patients with and without Heliotrope's sign. Conclusion:Lipid profiles were significantly altered in DM patients compared with healthy controls, and some lipids showed potential diagnostic value for DM.

Objective:To investigate the application and management status of midline catheters in 1 954 hospitals, providing a basis for optimizing intravenous therapy nursing practices.Methods:This study used convenience sampling. From November 2023, members of the Intravenous Therapy Nursing Professional Committee of the Chinese Nursing Association selected 1 954 hospitals across various regions of China. Questionnaire on the Current Status of Intravenous Therapy in Hospitals at All Levels designed by the committee, based on literature review and expert discussions, was used to collect data on intravenous therapy practices in different hospitals. Multiple response analysis was applied to analysis the results of multiple-choice questions, where response numbers represent the total number of times each option was selected, and response rates refer to the proportion of selected times for each option out of all selected responses.Results:A total of 1 954 questionnaires were distributed across 31 provinces/municipalities/autonomous regions, and 1 954 valid questionnaires were returned, achieving a 100.0% valid response rate. Among the hospitals surveyed, 844 used midline catheters. Regarding the skin disinfection area for midline catheter insertion, the highest response rate was for a range of>20 cm. The highest response rate for catheter insertion techniques was ultrasound-guided Seldinger puncture. The highest response rate for maintenance interval was once a week. The top three responses for nursing documentation related to midline catheters were informed consent for intubation, puncture record, and maintenance record. The most frequently chosen processes were catheter placement, maintenance, removal, and complication management processes. The qualification for midline catheter intravenous therapy specialist nurses was mostly obtained through specialized nurse training, followed by hospital-based and department-based training.Conclusions:The application of midline catheters has rapidly developed but still reveals some deficiencies, including the choice of puncture tools, infection control, and catheter maintenance. It is recommended to improve nursing documentation and management processes related to midline catheters, establish industry standards suitable for China's national conditions, and strengthen and standardize the specialized training of intravenous therapy nurses to promote the healthy development of intravenous therapy in China.

Objective:To investigate differences in serum lipid profiles between patients with dermatomyositis (DM) and healthy controls.Methods:A retrospective analysis was conducted on the clinical data and serum samples collected from 51 patients with DM who visited the First Affiliated Hospital, Anhui Medical University from September 2020 to January 2022. Serum samples were also collected from 66 healthy controls during the same period. Serum lipid profiles were analyzed using ultra-performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry in both groups. Differential lipids were screened using principal component analysis and orthogonal partial least squares-discriminant analysis. The predictive value of these differential lipids for DM was evaluated by receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis, and their correlations with clinical indicators were also evaluated.Results:A total of 51 patients with DM were enrolled, including 27 males and 24 females, with ages ( M[ Q1, Q3]) of 55.00 (47.00, 66.00) years and body mass index (BMI) values of 22.64 (19.79, 24.75) . The control group included 66 healthy individuals (33 males and 33 females) , with ages of 51.00 (43.75, 56.00) years and BMI values of 23.60 (21.18, 25.19) . No significant differences were observed between the two groups in terms of sex, age, or BMI (all P > 0.05) . A total of 341 lipid metabolites were identified, and 16 lipid metabolites such as ceramides (Cer) , sphingomyelins, phosphatidylcholines (PC) , phosphatidylethanolamines, lysophosphatidylcholines (LPC) , and triglycerides (TG) significantly differed between the DM group and the control group, of which 8 were upregulated and 8 were downregulated in the DM group. ROC curve analysis identified 7 differential lipids with area under the curve (AUC) values of > 0.9, of which 2 were Cer, 3 were TG, 1 was phosphatidylethanolamine, and 1 was LPC. In the DM patients, serum LPC (22∶1) levels were negatively correlated with creatine kinase isoenzyme MB levels ( r = -0.276, P < 0.05) , serum PC (15∶1/16∶0) levels were negatively correlated with aspartate aminotransferase levels ( r = -0.305, P < 0.05) , and serum Cer (d18∶1/18∶0) levels were positively correlated with C-reactive protein levels ( r = 0.283, P < 0.05) . Significant differences in serum lipid levels were observed between some DM subgroups (all P < 0.05) : sphingomyelin (d24∶0) levels significantly differed between anti-Sj?gren syndrome type A/Ro52 antibody-positive and -negative DM patients; LPC (17∶1) levels significantly differed between anti-PM-SCL75 antibody-positive and -negative DM patients; LPC (20∶0) and PC (32∶1p) levels significantly differed between anti-Mi-2 antibody-positive and -negative DM patients; LPC (22∶1) and TG (9∶0/9∶0/9∶0) levels significantly differed between anti-TIF1-γ antibody-positive and -negative DM patients; Cer (d18∶1/18∶0) levels significantly differed between DM patients with and without Heliotrope's sign. Conclusion:Lipid profiles were significantly altered in DM patients compared with healthy controls, and some lipids showed potential diagnostic value for DM.

Objectives:To investigate the physical growth status of pediatric patients with transfusion-dependent thalassemia (TDT) and analyze the effects of treatment-related and socioeconomic factors on physical growth.Methods:Based on the specialized thalassemia database from gene therapy clinical research at the Institute of Hematology & Hospital of Blood Diseases, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, we collected data on height and weight development, family economic status, and medical records of 338 pediatric patients with TDT from October 2023 to May 2024. The length/height-for-age and body mass index (BMI) -for-age were classified based on the Growth Standard for Children under 7 Years of Age, Standard for Height Level Classification among Children and Adolescents Aged 7-18 Years, and Dietary Guidelines for Chinese Residents. Logistic regression analysis was conducted to assess the effects of family economic status and disease-related treatment on length/height-for-age and BMI-for-age.Results:Among the 338 patients, 118 were children and 220 were adolescents (192 males and 146 females), with a median age of 12 years (range: 0.8-18) and a median diagnosis duration of 10.3 years (range: 0.5-17.9). Subtypes included α-thalassemia [21 cases (6.2%) ], β-thalassemia [288 cases (85.2%) ], and combined αβ-thalassemia[29 cases (8.6%) ]. The monthly household income of patients was concentrated in 3 000-5 000 yuan (39.9%) and 5 001-10 000 yuan (34.9%), whereas 67.2% of the families had monthly medical expenses of <3 000 yuan. Of the patients, 75.5% received their first transfusion before 1 year of age. The proportions of children and adolescents with pretransfusion hemoglobin (HGB) of ≤70 g/L were 4.2% and 6.4%, respectively. Adolescents demonstrated significantly higher rates of transfusion frequency of <4 weeks/session, monthly red blood cell infusion of >2 U, serum ferritin (SF) of ≥5 000 μg/L, iron chelation therapy, and splenectomy compared with children (all P<0.05). Of the 338 patients, 26.0%, 22.8%, and 8.9% demonstrated stunted growth, underweight, and concurrent stunted growth with underweight, respectively. No significant difference was observed in the stunted growth rates between children (22.9%) and adolescents (27.7%) ( P=0.402). However, the underweight rate in adolescents (26.8%) was significantly higher than that in children (15.3%) ( P=0.023). The multivariate analysis determined the following risk factors for stunted growth: monthly household income of <10 000 yuan (5 001-10 000 yuan: OR=5.49, 95% CI: 1.48-35.76; 3 000-5 000 yuan: OR=6.87, 95% CI: 1.88-44.60; <3 000 yuan: OR=9.29, 95% CI: 2.20-64.77), pretransfusion HGB of ≤70 g/L ( OR=3.25, 95% CI: 1.07-10.18), and SF of ≥5 000 μg/L ( OR = 3.04, 95% CI: 1.20-7.70). Longer diagnostic duration was associated with underweight ( OR=1.10, 95% CI: 1.01-1.20) . Conclusions:Children and adolescents with TDT with pretransfusion SF of ≥5 000 μg/L, HGB of ≤70 g/L, low monthly household income, or longer diagnosis duration were significantly more likely to experience delayed physical growth.

Objective:To investigate the application and management status of midline catheters in 1 954 hospitals, providing a basis for optimizing intravenous therapy nursing practices.Methods:This study used convenience sampling. From November 2023, members of the Intravenous Therapy Nursing Professional Committee of the Chinese Nursing Association selected 1 954 hospitals across various regions of China. Questionnaire on the Current Status of Intravenous Therapy in Hospitals at All Levels designed by the committee, based on literature review and expert discussions, was used to collect data on intravenous therapy practices in different hospitals. Multiple response analysis was applied to analysis the results of multiple-choice questions, where response numbers represent the total number of times each option was selected, and response rates refer to the proportion of selected times for each option out of all selected responses.Results:A total of 1 954 questionnaires were distributed across 31 provinces/municipalities/autonomous regions, and 1 954 valid questionnaires were returned, achieving a 100.0% valid response rate. Among the hospitals surveyed, 844 used midline catheters. Regarding the skin disinfection area for midline catheter insertion, the highest response rate was for a range of>20 cm. The highest response rate for catheter insertion techniques was ultrasound-guided Seldinger puncture. The highest response rate for maintenance interval was once a week. The top three responses for nursing documentation related to midline catheters were informed consent for intubation, puncture record, and maintenance record. The most frequently chosen processes were catheter placement, maintenance, removal, and complication management processes. The qualification for midline catheter intravenous therapy specialist nurses was mostly obtained through specialized nurse training, followed by hospital-based and department-based training.Conclusions:The application of midline catheters has rapidly developed but still reveals some deficiencies, including the choice of puncture tools, infection control, and catheter maintenance. It is recommended to improve nursing documentation and management processes related to midline catheters, establish industry standards suitable for China's national conditions, and strengthen and standardize the specialized training of intravenous therapy nurses to promote the healthy development of intravenous therapy in China.

In order to investigate developmental coordination disorder (DCD) of kindergarten children in Zhejiang province, 200 ordinary kindergartens were randomly selected by stratified random sampling in 11 prefecture-level cities of Zhejiang Province, and 38 900 children from 1 000 classes in each grade were then randomly selected into the study from June 2019 to December 2019. The Little DCD Questionnaire and a self-designed questionnaire were used to screen the DCD of those children. There were 36 807 valid questionnaires, and 6.50% (2 391/36 807) of them were positive results. The results showed that boy, age ≤5 years, overweight or obesity, left handedness, comorbidity with motor or developmental disorders and premature infants were risk factors of DCD in children. As for parents and families, maternal gestational age<20 years, maternal overweight or obesity before pregnancy, low-middle level education of parents, direct family and low income of family were also associated with DCD in children. Therefore, it is necessary to conduct early prevention and intervention strategies targeting on identified risk factors among relevant population.

In order to investigate developmental coordination disorder (DCD) of kindergarten children in Zhejiang province, 200 ordinary kindergartens were randomly selected by stratified random sampling in 11 prefecture-level cities of Zhejiang Province, and 38 900 children from 1 000 classes in each grade were then randomly selected into the study from June 2019 to December 2019. The Little DCD Questionnaire and a self-designed questionnaire were used to screen the DCD of those children. There were 36 807 valid questionnaires, and 6.50% (2 391/36 807) of them were positive results. The results showed that boy, age ≤5 years, overweight or obesity, left handedness, comorbidity with motor or developmental disorders and premature infants were risk factors of DCD in children. As for parents and families, maternal gestational age<20 years, maternal overweight or obesity before pregnancy, low-middle level education of parents, direct family and low income of family were also associated with DCD in children. Therefore, it is necessary to conduct early prevention and intervention strategies targeting on identified risk factors among relevant population.