AIM: To investigate variation patterns of corneal biomechanical parameters and binocular symmetry among children of different genders aged 8-16 years.METHODS:A retrospective study was conducted, and children who underwent optometric examinations at the ophthalmology department of our hospital were enrolled between January 2022 and December 2024. Measurements included the flat keratometry(K1), steep keratometry(K2), and mean curvature(Km)of the anterior corneal surface, horizontal visible iris diameter(HVID), central corneal thickness(CCT), corneal endothelial cell density(CECD), average cell size(ACS), coefficient of variation(CV), and hexagonality(HEX). Corneal parameters and binocular differences were compared between genders and across age groups.RESULTS:A total of 621 children(1 242 eyes)were enrolled in this study, including 284 males(568 eyes), 337 females(674 eyes), 528 children aged 8-12 years(1 056 eyes), and 93 children aged 13-16 years(186 eyes). In children aged 8-16 years, the K1, K2, Km and CV of both eyes, as well as the interocular CCT differences in boys were significantly lower than those in girls(all P<0.05), while the HVID and HEX of both eyes, as well as the CCT of the left eye in boys were significantly higher than those in girls(all P<0.05). Children aged 8-12 years had significantly higher K1, Km, CECD and HEX in both eyes, and significantly lower ACS in both eyes than those aged 13-16 years(all P<0.05). K1, K2, Km, CECD and HEX in both eyes were negatively correlated with age(P<0.05); ACS in both eyes was positively correlated with age(P<0.001); K1 and Km of the right eye were positively correlated with the CECD of the right eye(P<0.05), and K1 and CCT of the left eye were positively correlated with the CECD of the left eye(P<0.05).CONCLUSION:Significant gender differences exist in corneal parameters among children aged 8 to 16 years, while binocular symmetry remained stable.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the relationship between physical activity and genetic risk and their combined effects on the risk of developing chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. METHODS: This prospective cohort study included 318,085 biobank participants from the UK. Physical activity was assessed using the short form of the International Physical Activity Questionnaire. The participants were stratified into low-, intermediate-, and high-genetic-risk groups based on their polygenic risk scores. Multivariate Cox regression models and multiplicative interaction analyses were used. RESULTS: During a median follow-up period of 13 years, 9,209 participants were diagnosed with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. For low genetic risk, compared to low physical activity, the hazard ratios ( HRs) for moderate and high physical activity were 0.853 (95% confidence interval [ CI]: 0.748-0.972) and 0.831 (95% CI: 0.727-0.950), respectively. For intermediate genetic risk, the HRs were 0.829 (95% CI: 0.758-0.905) and 0.835 (95% CI: 0.764-0.914), respectively. For participants with high genetic risk, the HRs were 0.809 (95% CI: 0.746-0.877) and 0.818 (95% CI: 0.754-0.888), respectively. A significant interaction was observed between genetic risk and physical activity. CONCLUSION Moderate or high levels of physical activity were associated with a lower risk of developing chronic obstructive pulmonary disease across all genetic risk groups, highlighting the need to tailor activity interventions for genetically susceptible individuals.
Humans ; Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive/epidemiology* ; Exercise ; Male ; Female ; Middle Aged ; Prospective Studies ; Aged ; Genetic Predisposition to Disease ; Risk Factors ; United Kingdom/epidemiology* ; Incidence ; Adult

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the safety and efficacy of thiotepa (TT)-containing conditioning regimens for allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) in children with inborn errors of immunity (IEI). METHODS: Clinical data of 22 children with IEI who underwent HSCT were retrospectively reviewed. Survival after HSCT was estimated using the Kaplan-Meier method. RESULTS: Nine patients received a traditional conditioning regimen (fludarabine + busulfan + cyclophosphamide/etoposide) and underwent peripheral blood stem cell transplantation (PBSCT). Thirteen patients received a TT-containing modified conditioning regimen (TT + fludarabine + busulfan + cyclophosphamide), including seven PBSCT and six umbilical cord blood transplantation (UCBT) cases. Successful engraftment with complete donor chimerism was achieved in all patients. Acute graft-versus-host disease occurred in 12 patients (one with grade III and the remaining with grade I-II). Chronic graft-versus-host disease occurred in one patient. The incidence of EB viremia in UCBT patients was lower than that in PBSCT patients (P<0.05). Over a median follow-up of 36.0 months, one death occurred. The 3-year overall survival (OS) rate was 100% for the modified regimen and 88.9% ± 10.5% for the traditional regimen (P=0.229). When comparing transplantation types, the 3-year OS rates were 100% for UCBT and 93.8% ± 6.1% for PBSCT (P>0.05), and the 3-year event-free survival rates were 100% and 87.1% ± 8.6%, respectively (P>0.05). CONCLUSIONS TT-containing conditioning for allogeneic HSCT in children with IEI is safe and effective. Both UCBT and PBSCT may achieve high success rates.
Humans ; Retrospective Studies ; Transplantation Conditioning/methods* ; Thiotepa/therapeutic use* ; Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation/adverse effects* ; Male ; Female ; Child, Preschool ; Infant ; Child ; Transplantation, Homologous ; Graft vs Host Disease ; Adolescent

Recent clinical trials have demonstrated a protective effect in using traditional Chinese medicine Tongxinluo (TXL) capsule to treat atherosclerosis. However, clinical evidence of the effects of TXL treatment on coronary plaque vulnerability is unavailable. In response, we developed this study to investigate the hypothesis that on the basis of statin therapy, treatment with TXL capsule may stabilize coronary lesions in patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS). The TXL-CAP study was an investigator-initiated, randomized, double-blind clinical trial conducted across 18 medical centers in China. Patients with ACS aging from 18 to 80 years old who had a non-intervened coronary target lesion with a fibrous cap thickness (FCT) < 100 μm and lipid arc > 90° as defined by optical coherence tomography (OCT) were recruited. A total of 220 patients who met the selection criteria but did not meet the exclusion criteria will be finally recruited and randomized to receive treatment with TXL (n = 110) or placebo (n = 110) for a duration of 12 months. The primary endpoint was the difference in the minimum FCT of the coronary target lesion between TXL and placebo groups at the end of the 12-month follow-up. Secondary endpoints included: (1) changes of the maximum lipid arc and length of the target plaque, and the percentage of lipid, fibrous, and calcified plaques at the end of the 12-month period; (2) the incidence of composite cardiovascular events and coronary revascularization within the 12 months; (3) changes in the grade and scores of the angina pectoris as assessed using the Canadian Cardiovascular Society (CCS) grading system and Seattle angina questionnaire (SAQ) score, respectively; and (4) changes in hs-CRP serum levels. The results of the TXL-CAP trial will provide additional clinical data for revealing whether TXL capsules stabilizes coronary vulnerable plaques in Chinese ACS patients.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the anti-hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) activity of total alkaloids from Gelsemium elegans Benth. (TAG) in vivo and in vitro and to elucidate their potential mechanisms of action through transcriptomic analysis. METHODS: TAG extraction was conducted, and the primary components were quantified using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The effects of TAG (100, 150, and 200 µg/mL) on various tumor cells, including SMMC-7721, HepG2, H22, CAL27, MCF7, HT29, and HCT116, were assessed. Effects of TAG on HCC proliferation and apoptosis were detected by colony formation assays and cell stainings. Caspase-3, Bcl-2, and Bax protein levels were detected by Western blotting. In vivo, a tumor xenograft model was developed using H22 cells. Totally 40 Kunming mice were randomly assigned to model, cyclophosphamide (20 mg/kg), TAG low-dose (TAG-L, 0.5 mg/kg), and TAG high-dose (TAG-H, 1 mg/kg) groups, with 10 mice in each group. Tumor volume, body weight, and tumor weight were recorded and compared during 14-day treatment. Immune organ index were calculated. Tissue changes were oberseved by hematoxylin and eosin staining and immunohistochemistry. Additionally, transcriptomic and metabolomic analyses, as well as quatitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR), were performed to detect mRNA and metabolite expressions. RESULTS: HPLC successfully identified the components of TAG extraction. Live cell imaging and analysis, along with cell viability assays, demonstrated that TAG inhibited the proliferation of SMMC-7721, HepG2, H22, CAL27, MCF7, HT29, and HCT116 cells. Colony formation assays, Hoechst 33258 staining, Rhodamine 123 staining, and Western blotting revealed that TAG not only inhibited HCC proliferation but also promoted apoptosis (P<0.05). In vivo experiments showed that TAG inhibited the growth of solid tumors in HCC in mice (P<0.05). Transcriptomic analysis and RT-qPCR indicated that the inhibition of HCC by TAG was associated with the regulation of the key gene CXCL13. CONCLUSION TAG inhibits HCC both in vivo and in vitro, with its inhibitory effect linked to the regulation of the key gene CXCL13.
Animals ; Apoptosis/drug effects* ; Liver Neoplasms/genetics* ; Carcinoma, Hepatocellular/genetics* ; Humans ; Alkaloids/therapeutic use* ; Gelsemium/chemistry* ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Cell Proliferation/drug effects* ; Mice ; Xenograft Model Antitumor Assays

Objective To investigate the growth, development and health status of primary and secondary school students in Xinzhou District of Wuhan, and analyze the detection and change trend of common diseases in primary and secondary school students, and to provide a basis for relevant departments to formulate prevention and control measures of common diseases in students. Methods The monitoring data of common diseases and health influencing factors of primary and secondary school students in Xinzhou District from 2019 to 2022 were analyzed and compared according to different genders, different grades and ages. SPSS 20.0 software was used to analyze the data of detection rates of myopia, dental caries, obesity, malnutrition and abnormal spinal curvature. Results The overall detection rates of myopia, dental caries, malnutrition, obesity and abnormal spinal curvature were 57.00%, 58.45%, 4.60%, 14.91%, and 6.33%, respectively, in Xinzhou District from 2019 to 2022. The annual change rates were 7.22%, 15.10%, -2.72%, 13.29%, and 4.91%, respectively. The detection rates of myopia, dental caries, obesity and abnormal spinal curvature showed an increasing trend in each year (χ² ≥17.22, P<0.001). The detection rates of myopia and malnutrition increased with the increase of age and school level (both χ²≥42.37, P<0.001), while the opposite was true for the detection rates of dental caries and obesity (both χ²≥14.26, P<0.001). The detection rates of myopia and dental caries were higher in girls than in boys (both χ²≥33.66, P<0.001), while the detection rates of obesity and abnormal spinal curvature were higher in boys than in girls (both χ²≥8.22, P<0.005). The detection rates of myopia, dental caries, obesity and abnormal spinal curvature in 2019 were lower than those in 2020-2022 (χ²≥4.11, P<0.05), while the detection rates of malnutrition had decreased. Conclusion The growth, development and health status of primary and secondary school students in Xinzhou District are serious. The detection rate of common diseases such as myopia, dental caries, obesity and abnormal curvature of the spine is on the rise, which should be the focus of the surveillance work of common diseases in primary and secondary school students in the future, and comprehensive intervention measures are urgently needed to prevent and control these common diseases.

Introducing fingerprint level 3 features(especially sweat pores)in fingerprint recognition can significantly improve the value of fingerprints.However,conventional fingerprint visualization methods suffer from issues such as poor stability and reproducibility,insufficient resolution,and feature masking in detecting level 3 features.Electrospun membrane has unique advantages in latent fingerprint(LFP)detection due to its excellent adsorption performance and high specific surface area,and thus its application potential in LFP visualization urgently need to be explored.A novel pore visualization method based on core-shell structured PAN-Flu/PVP composite nanofibrous membrane was proposed in this work.Specifically,the PAN-Flu/PVP composite nanofibrous membrane was prepared via coaxial electrospinning technology,with polyacrylonitrile(PAN)loaded with fluorescein(Flu)as the core and polyvinylpyrrolidone(PVP)as the shell.The experimental results showed that the prepared PAN Flu/PVP composite nanofibrous membrane had a porous structure and excellent adsorption performance.Based on the water solubility of the outer shell PVP and the water induced fluorescence enhancement effect of the core Flu,high-resolution visualization of sweat pores could be achieved within 2 s.The optimization experiment showed that the best quality of sweat latent fingerprints was obtained when the Flu content was 4 mg/mL,the spinning time was 1 h,and the sweating time was 2 min.Through repeated fingerprinting and live fingerprint comparison experiment,the strong stability and high reproducibility of the as-produced membrane in displaying fingerprint sweat pores were finally verified.In summary,the development method could quickly,stably and accurately extract the spatial distribution and activity level of fingerprint sweat pores,which was of great significance for improving the utilization and value of fingerprints.

Aim To explore the underlying molecular mechanism of Alisol A 24-acetate(24A)in improving oxygen-glucose deprivation/reoxygenation(OGD/R)injury in brain microvascular endothelial cells(BMECs)and its correlation with miR-98-5p/transi-ent receptor potential melastatin-2(TRPM2).Meth-ods The ischemia-reperfusion injury in brain micro-vascular endothelial cells(BMECs)was established u-sing bEnd.3 cells subjected to 8 h of oxygen-glucose deprivation followed by 16 h of re-oxygenation.The cells were intervened by miR-98-5p mimics and/or 18.77 μmol·L-1 24A for 24 h and divided into the control group,OGD/R group,OGD/R+24A group,OGD/R+24A+miR-98-5p mimics group and OGD/R+miR-98-5p mimics group.The mRNA levels of miR-98-5p and TRPM2 were detected by qPCR.IL-1 β and TNF-α levels were detected by ELISA.The expression levels of TRPM2,p-AKT,p-GSK3 β,AKT,GSK3 β,Bcl-2,Bax,ZO-1,Occludin,Claudin-5 were detected by Western blot.Apoptosis and reactive oxygen species(ROS)levels were detected by flow cytometry.The targeting relationship between miR-98-5p and TRPM2 was verified using dual luciferase assay.Results Compared with the control group,the apoptosis of OGD/R group was obvious,Bcl-2/Bax decreased,ZO-1,Occludin,Claudin-5 decreased,IL-1 β,TNF-α and ROS increased,miR-98-5p,p-AKT/AKT,p-GSK3β/GSK3β decreased but TRPM2 increased.But com-pared with the OGD/R group,except the control group,the other three groups showed the opposite trend in the above aspects;compared with the OGD/R+24A group,OGD/R+24A+miR-98-5p mimics group showed decreased apoptosis,decreased degradation of ZO-1,Occludin and Claudin-5,and decreased inflam-mation and ROS.miR-98-5p,p-AKT/AKT,p-GSK3β/GSK3β increased and TRPM2 decreased.However,compared with the OGD/R+24A+miR-98-5p mimics group,the OGD/R+miR-98-5p mimics group reversed this trend.Dual luciferase confirmed that miR-98-5p targeted regulation of TRPM2.Conclusion 24A in-hibits the expression of TRPM2 in BMECs through miR-98-5p,regulates AKT/GSK3β signal pathway,re-duces OGD/R inflammation and oxidative stress-medi-ated apoptosis,prevents the degradation of ZO-1,Oc-cludin and Claudin-5,and improves BBB permeability.