Since its establishment in 2016, the National Rare Diseases Registry System of China (NRDRS) has accumulated valuable case data and bio-specimen for basic and clinical research on rare diseases in China. However, the emerging challenges in clinical diagnosis and treatment of rare diseases make it unable for data and resource platform to fully meet the diversified needs. Under this backdrop, we have developed a protocol to optimize and upgrade the system based on the core functions of the NRDRS platform. The goal is to leverage intelligent digital technologies to transform NRDRS into a new platform integrating multimodal data and auxiliary diagnostic and treatment functions. It is specified as the development and construction of "one platform and four intelligent tools." Currently, we have upgraded and developed NRDRS platform, intelligent tool for genotype-phenotype analysis of rare diseases, AI-assisted diagnostic tool for rare diseases, remote multidisciplinary diagnosis and teaching tool for rare diseases, drug screening and validation tool for rare diseases. The next step will focus on the promotion of the application of these tools in clinical settings in order to address the issue of severe imbalance in the allocation of resources for the diagnosis and treatment of rare diseases. This article provides an overview of the digital and intelligent upgrades of the NRDRS, the trials in applications in clinical settings, and direction in the future.

A 20-year-old male patient presented to the Department of Dermatology of Peking Union Medical College Hospital with complaints of an 8-year history of facial scarring, swelling of the lower limbs, and a 4-year history of scalp thickening. Physical examination showed thickening furrowing wrinkling of the skin on the face and behind the ears, ciliary body hirsutism, blepharoptosis, and cutis verticis gyrate. Both lower limbs were swollen, especially the knees and ankles. The skin of the palms and soles of the feet was keratinized and thickened. Laboratory examination using bone and joint X-ray showed periostosis of the proximal middle phalanges and metacarpals of both hands, distal ulna and radius, tibia and fibula, distal femurs, and metatarsals.Genetic testing revealed two variants in SLCO2A1, c.1658T > A and c.96+4A > C.Through multidisciplinary consultation, we confirmed the diagnosis of pachydermoperiostosis.

Background::Patients who undergo coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) are known to be at a significant risk of experiencing long-term adverse events, emphasizing the importance of regular assessments. Evaluating health-related quality of life (HRQoL) serves as a direct method to gauge prognosis. Our objective is to ascertain the prognostic significance of consecutive HRQoL assessments using the Physical Component Summary (PCS) and Mental Component Summary (MCS) derived from the Short-Form 36 (SF-36) health survey in CABG patients.Methods::The study population consisted of 433 patients who underwent isolated elective CABG at Fuwai Hospital between 2012 and 2013. SF-36 assessments were conducted during both the hospitalization period and follow-up. The primary endpoint of the study was all-cause mortality, while the secondary outcome was a composite measure including death, myocardial infarction, stroke, and repeat revascularization. We assessed the relationships between the PCS and MCS at baseline, as well as their changes during the first 6 months after the surgery (referred to as ΔPCS and ΔMCS, respectively), and the observed outcomes.Results::The patients were followed for an average of 6.28 years, during which 35 individuals (35/433, 8.1%) died. After adjusting for clinical variables, it was observed that baseline MCS scores (hazard ratio [HR] for a 1-standard deviation [SD] decrease, 1.57; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.07–2.30) and ΔMCS (HR for a 1-SD decrease, 1.67; 95% CI, 1.09–2.56) were associated with all-cause mortality. However, baseline PCS scores and ΔPCS did not exhibit a significant relationship with all-cause mortality. Notably, there was a dose-response relationship observed between ΔMCS and the likelihood of all-cause mortality (HRs for the 2nd, 3rd and 4th quartiles compared to the 1st quartile, 0.33, 0.45 and 0.11, respectively).Conclusions::Baseline MCS and changes in MCS were independent predictors for long-term mortality of CABG. Better mental health status and recovery indicated better prognosis.

Objective:To explore the automated synthesis of glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist 18F-AlF-1, 4, 7-triazacyclononane-1, 4, 7-triacetic acid (NOTA)-maleimide (Mal)-cysteine (Cys) 39-exendin-4 ( 18F-exendin-4), and verify its diagnostic efficacy on insulinoma with PET/CT. Methods:Using NOTA-Mal-Cys 39-exendin-4 as the labeled precursor, 18F-exendin-4 was obtained by constructing Al 18F one-step reaction sequence and using All in one multifunctional chemical synthesizer for radiolabelling, purification and preparation. After the quality control, 18F-exendin-4 PET/CT imaging was performed on 1 patient (female, 55 years old) with clinical suspicion of insulinoma. Results:Radiolabelling of 18F-exendin-4 took about 40 min, with the non-decay corrected radiochemical yield of (18.03±2.67)% ( n=3), the molar activity>39.74 GBq/μmol, and the radioactivity concentration>390.00 MBq/ml. The injection was a colorless transparent liquid with pH value of 6.5, and the radiochemical purity>96%. Results of bacteria and endotoxins testing met the standards of Pharmacopoeia of the People′ s Republic of China (2020). PET/CT image analysis showed a nodular high uptake of 18F-exendin-4 in the pancreatic body. The pathological and immunohistochemical results were consistent with the characteristics of neuroendocrine neoplasm (G2). Conclusions:The automatic radiolabelling of 18F-exendin-4 is successfully realized by All in one multifunctional chemical synthesizer. 18F-exendin-4 has been proved to be of clinical value in diagnosis of insulinoma, and is suitable for promotion in medical institutions equipped with medical cyclotrons.

Antipsychotics, lithium preparations can cause a variety of renal side effects, most of which occur insidiously. The paper reports a 46-year-old female patient developing fatigue and soft paresis after taking lithium carbonate for 17 years. Laboratory tests showed hypokalemia, distal renal tubular acidosis (dRTA), and renal calculus. After discontinuation of lithium carbonate, partial remission of hypokalemia and dRTA were observed. Combined with literature review, in addition to dRTA, the renal side effects of lithium preparations also include acute toxic kidney injury, nephrogenic diabetes insipidus and various glomerulopathy.

Henoch-Sch?nlein purpura is also known as IgA vasculitis. The kidney involvement, namely Henoch-Sch?nlein purpura nephritis (HSPN), is one of IgA vasculitis's main clinical manifestations. Galactose-deficient IgA1 plays an important role in the pathogenesis of HSPN, which not only is similar to the "four-hits hypothesis" of IgA nephropathy, leading to IgA1 deposit in the mesangial region of the kidney, but also is closely related to inflammation with more complicated compositions of its immune complex. Therefore, abnormal glycosylation of IgA1 is expected to be a biomarker for diagnosis and prediction of HSPN pathogenesis, disease activity determination and prognosis prediction. Here, the paper reviews the research progress on the pathogenesis and clinical application of abnormal glycosylation of IgA1 in HSPN.

As an important category of rare diseases, rare genetic kidney diseases have many types. In recent years, their diagnosis, treatment, research and management strategies have made great progress. Continuously more new genes and mechanisms have been discovered, giving rise to new technologies and drugs for precision medicine and clinical applications. This article systematically analyzes rare diseases involving the urinary system listed in the catalog of rare diseases in China, gives examples to illustrate the research and management methods for the diagnosis and treatment of rare genetic kidney diseases, promotes clinical applications of new drugs by expanding physiological mechanisms, introduces the application of special blood purification in the field of critical rare diseases, and provides an outlook forward to the future prospects of precise diagnosis and treatment of rare kidney diseases in China.

Tuberous sclerosis complex(TSC)is a rare genetic disease that can lead to benign dysplasia in multiple organs such as the skin, brain, eyes, oral cavity, heart, lungs, kidneys, liver, and bones. Its main symptoms include epilepsy, intellectual disabilities, skin depigmentation, and facial angiofibromas, whilst incidence is approximately 1 in 10 000 to 1 in 6000 newborns. This case presents a middle-aged woman who initially manifested with epilepsy and nodular depigmentation. Later, she developed a lower abdominal mass, elevated creatinine, and severe anemia. Based on clinical features and whole exome sequencing, the primary diagnosis was confirmed as TSC. Laboratory and imaging examinations revealed that the lower abdominal mass originated from the uterus. CT-guided biopsy pathology and surgical pathology suggested a combination of leiomyoma and abscess. With the involvement of multiple organs and various complications beyond the main diagnosis, the diagnostic and therapeutic process for this patient highlights the importance of rigorous clinical thinking and multidisciplinary collaboration in the diagnosis and treatment of rare and challenging diseases.

Paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria (PNH) is an acquired clonal hematopoietic stem cell disease caused by abnormal expression of glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI) on the cell membrane due to mutations in the phosphatidylinositol glycan class A(PIGA) gene. It is commonly characterized by intravascular hemolysis, repeated thrombosis, and bone marrow failure, as well as multiple systemic involvement symptoms such as renal dysfunction, pulmonary hypertension, swallowing difficulties, chest pain, abdominal pain, and erectile dysfunction. Due to the rarity of PNH and its strong heterogeneity in clinical manifestations, multidisciplinary collaboration is often required for diagnosis and treatment. Peking Union Medical College Hospital, relying on the rare disease diagnosis and treatment platform, has invited multidisciplinary clinical experts to form a unified opinion on the diagnosis and treatment of PNH, and formulated the Expert Consensus of Multidisciplinary Diagnosis and Treatment for Paroxysmal Nocturnal Hemoglobinuria (2024), with the hope of promoting the standardization of PNH diagnosis and treatment.

Background In recent years,rare diseases have become a major public health issue.There is an urgent need to improve the diagnosis and treatment for these diseases,and the training for doctors engaged in rare diseases is an important part of it.Methods This study conducted a questionnaire survey on the doctors engaged in rare diseases in Peking Union Medical College Hospital to better understand their characteristics and evaluate their psychological and working status.Results A total of 95 questionnaires from doctors engaged in rare diseases were collected in this study,among which the female:male ratio was 1.6∶1,and 63.2％of them were in the 40-54 age group.Their main reason for choosing rare diseases was the enjoyment in the process of studying rare diseases(64.2％).Compared with the 108 doctors not engaged in rare diseases surveyed during the same period,those working on rare diseases reported higher patient recognition based on self-evaluation(P＜0.001).In terms of the time-consuming work,in addition to routine medical work,teaching and research,34.7％of doctors engaged in rare diseases chose doctor-patient communication and 31.6％chose medical man-agement communication.Conclusions This study proposes some suggestions on the talent training for rare dis-eases,the establishment of continuing education platforms,and the technology and policy support needed through the analysis of the questionnaire survey results of doctors engaged in rare diseases.