This study analyzed the clinical and laboratory data of 3 children diagnosed with mitochondrial disease-associated primary adrenal insufficiency (PAI) at the Guangzhou Women and Children′s Medical Center, Guangzhou Medical University from October 2018 to November 2023.All patients were normal at birth but gradually developed symptoms and were diagnosed with PAI between the ages of 1 year and 1 month and 7 years and 3 months.The children presented typical clinical symptoms of PAI, including skin and mucosal hyperpigmentation (3 cases), electrolyte disturbances (3 cases), and hypoglycemia (2 cases), as well as multisystem abnormalities related to mitochondrial disease, including recurrent infections, growth retardation, cachexia, and hyperlactatemia.Genetic testing revealed significant single deletions in mitochondrial DNA in all patients: Patient 1: m.11219_15954del, Patient 2: m.8483_13459del, and Patient 3: m.8649_16084del.Treatment with Hydrocortisone acetate replacement therapy improved the electrolyte disturbances and hypoglycemia, but issues with recurrent infections, growth retardation, and cachexia persisted.This study suggests that in clinical practice, the possibility of mitochondrial disease should be highly suspected when PAI patients present with multisystem abnormalities, especially in conjunction with hyperlactatemia.

This study analyzed the clinical and laboratory data of 3 children diagnosed with mitochondrial disease-associated primary adrenal insufficiency (PAI) at the Guangzhou Women and Children′s Medical Center, Guangzhou Medical University from October 2018 to November 2023.All patients were normal at birth but gradually developed symptoms and were diagnosed with PAI between the ages of 1 year and 1 month and 7 years and 3 months.The children presented typical clinical symptoms of PAI, including skin and mucosal hyperpigmentation (3 cases), electrolyte disturbances (3 cases), and hypoglycemia (2 cases), as well as multisystem abnormalities related to mitochondrial disease, including recurrent infections, growth retardation, cachexia, and hyperlactatemia.Genetic testing revealed significant single deletions in mitochondrial DNA in all patients: Patient 1: m.11219_15954del, Patient 2: m.8483_13459del, and Patient 3: m.8649_16084del.Treatment with Hydrocortisone acetate replacement therapy improved the electrolyte disturbances and hypoglycemia, but issues with recurrent infections, growth retardation, and cachexia persisted.This study suggests that in clinical practice, the possibility of mitochondrial disease should be highly suspected when PAI patients present with multisystem abnormalities, especially in conjunction with hyperlactatemia.

Objective:To investigate and analyze the energy metabolism characteristics and the correlation between energy metabolism and the risk of secondary bacterial infection in patients with hepatitis B virus-related chronic liver disease (HBV-CLD).Methods:Data of 183 cases admitted to the Mengchao Hepatobiliary Hospital of Fujian Medical University from November 2017 to November 2020 were retrospectively analyzed. 79 cases of chronic hepatitis B, 51 cases of hepatitis B-related liver cirrhosis, and 53 cases of hepatitis B-related liver failure were collected. Among them patients with liver failure and decompensated liver cirrhosis were defined as severe liver disease group. The Quark RMR indirect calorimetry (COSMED Corporation, Italy) was used to exam the patients' energy metabolism condition, and the incidences of secondary bacterial infection of the patients during hospitalization were recorded. Shapiro-Wilk test and normal QQ plot were used to analyze the normal distribution of continuous variable data, which was consistent with the normal distribution and was described by mean ± standard deviation. In addition, if it did not conform to the normal distribution, the median and interquartile distance were used to describe it. Levene’s test was used to test the homogeneity of variance of the data, which was consistent with the normal distribution. The t-test was used to compare the means of the two groups of samples. One-way analysis of variance was used to compare the mean values of the three groups of samples, and then the Tukey's test was used to compare the two groups. If the variance was uneven or did not conform to the normal distribution, the Wilcoxon rank sum test was used to compare the differences between the two groups. Kruskal-Wallis test (H test) was used to compare the differences between the three groups of samples, and then the Dunnett’s test (Z test) was used for comparison between the two groups. Categorical variable data were analyzed using chi-square test. Logistic regression analysis was used to screen independent risk factors, and the criteria for variable inclusion ( P < 0.05). Results:The respiratory entropy (RQ) and non-protein respiratory entropy (npRQ) of the three groups had statistically significant difference ( P < 0.05). Among them, the RQ and npRQ of the chronic hepatitis B group were higher than hepatitis B-related liver cirrhosis group and hepatitis B-related liver failure group. There were statistically significant differences in fat oxidation rate (FAT%) and carbohydrate oxidation rate (CHO%) between the three groups ( P < 0.05). Compared with hepatitis B-related liver cirrhosis group and hepatitis B-related liver failure group, chronic hepatitis B group ( P < 0.05) had lower FAT% and higher CHO%. There were no statistically significant differences in the measured and predicted resting energy expenditure and protein oxidation rate (PRO%) between the three groups. The incidence of secondary bacterial infection in patients with severe liver disease was 48.39% (45/93). Compared with the non-infected group, the RQ and npRQ values ??of the infected group were significantly decreased ( P < 0.05), while FAT% was significantly increased ( P < 0.05). Logistic regression analysis showed that glutamyltransferase, cholesterol, and npRQ were independent risk factors for secondary bacterial infections in patients with severe liver disease. Glutamyltransferase elevation, and cholesterol and npRQ depletion had suggested an increased risk of secondary bacterial infection. Subgroup analysis of patients with hepatitis B-related liver failure also showed that compared with non-infected group, RQ value and npRQ value of secondary bacterial infection group were significantly decreased ( P < 0.05), while FAT% was significantly increased ( P < 0.05). Conclusion:Patients with hepatitis B virus-related chronic liver disease generally have abnormal energy metabolism. Low RQ, npRQ, CHO% and high FAT% are related to the severity of the disease; while npRQ reduction is related to the risk of secondary bacterial infection in patients with severe liver disease, and thus can be used as a clinical prognostic indicator.

Objective To investigate the risk factors for short-term prognosis in patients with HBV-related acute-on-chronic liver failure (ACLF). Methods A retrospective analysis was performed for the clinical data of 119 patients with HBV-related ACLF who were admitted to Mengchao Hepatobiliary Hospital of Fujian Medical University from October 2019 to October 2020, and according to their survival status on day 90, they were divided into death group and survival group. The patients were given antiviral therapy with entecavir or tenofovir. Related clinical data were collected, including alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase, cholinesterase (ChE), albumin (Alb), cholesterol, alpha-fetoprotein, and HBV DNA at baseline, as well as the incidence rate of important complications. Model for End-Stage Liver Disease (MELD) score was also calculated. The t -test or the Mann-Whitney U test was used for comparison of continuous data between two groups, and the chi-squared test was used for comparison of categorical data between two groups; a logistic regression analysis was used to investigate the influencing factors for the 90-day prognosis of patients with HBV-related ACLF and establish a new predictive model; the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to evaluate the diagnostic efficiency of the new model in predicting the prognosis of HBV-related ACLF. Results Of all patients, 33 died within 90 days, resulting in a mortality rate of 27.7%. There were significant differences between the survival group and the death group in age, ALT, Alb, ChE, MELD score, and incidence rates of hepatic encephalopathy, primary peritonitis, and hepatorenal syndrome (all P < 0.05). The logistic regression analysis showed that baseline hepatic encephalopathy (odds ratio [ OR ]=10.404, 95% confidence interval [ CI ]: 2.522-42.926, P =0.001), serum Alb at baseline ( OR =0.853, 95% CI : 0.764-0.952, P =0.005), and MELD score at baseline ( OR =1.143, 95% CI : 1.036-1.261, P =0.008) were independent predictive factors for the short-term prognosis of patients with HBV-related ACLF. A new predictive model was established based on the combination of these three indices, and the ROC curve analysis showed that this new model had an area under the curve of 0.833, while MELD score had an area under the ROC curve of 0.672. Conclusion As for the evaluation of the 90-day prognosis of patients with HBV-related ACLF, the new prognostic model established based on hepatic encephalopathy, Alb, and MELD score has a better predictive value than MELD score alone.

Objective:To investigate the potential mechanism of microRNA (miRNA) in hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection.Methods:The peripheral blood samples were collected from four chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients who visited Mengchao Hepatobiliary Hospital of Fujian Medical University in 2017, and those were also collected from four healthy controls. Affymetrix GeneChip microRNA 4.0 was applied to detect the expressions of miRNA between CHB patients and healthy controls. The CHB relative differential expressions of miRNA were obtained. The functions of CHB relative miRNA were analyzed by the combination of bioinformatics tools and public database data.Results:A total of seven miRNA were differentially expressed in the peripheral blood of CHB patients. Among them, miRNA-122-5p (log 2 fold change (log 2FC)=7.78, P=0.007 3), let-7c-5p (log 2FC=3.52, P=0.019 6), miRNA-6794-5p (log 2FC=1.15, P=0.033 2), and miRNA-1226-5p (log 2FC=0.68, P=0.034 3) were up-regulated, while miRNA-619-5p (log 2FC=-1.83, P=0.002 6), miRNA-1273g-3p (log 2FC=-2.69, P=0.025 1), and miRNA-4440 (log 2FC=-3.99, P=0.047 8) were down-regulated. Further analysis showed that these miRNA could directly interact with HBV gene sequence and impact the replication of the virus. Among them, miRNA-122-5p, miRNA-6794-5p and miRNA-1226-5p could negatively regulate target genes expression to influence the formation of ficolin-1 rich granule, ficolin-1 rich granule lumen, podosome and membrane ruffle, which participated in the cell membrane movement and cell-matrix adhesion. Conclusion:MiRNA could impact the molecular movement in the cell membrane and facilitate HBV entry to liver cells, playing an important supporting role in HBV infection process.

Objective:To evaluate and improve the performance of the newborn screening program for primary carnitine deficiency (PCD) based on tandem mass spectrometry and to investigate the incidence of PCD and molecular characteristics of SLC22A5 gene in Guangzhou.Methods:A total of 200 180 neonates born in Guangzhou from 2015 to 2019 were enrolled into the newborn screening program for PCD by tandem mass spectrometry at Guangzhou Newborn Screening Center. The positive results of screening for PCD was defined as free carnitine (C0) less than 10 μmol/L with decreased acylcarnitine species in dried blood spots of three to seven days after birth. Screen-positive newborns and their mothers were recalled for another blood spot sample. The diagnosis was confirmed based on decreased levels of C0 and acylcarnitine species in recalled blood spots and genetic analysis in SLC22A5 gene sequencing. The utility of using the sum of propionylcarnitine and palmitoylcarnitine (C3+C16) as a biomarker for acylcarnitine species in newborn screening was retrospectively evaluated. The levels of C0 and (C3+C16) at first screening were compared between newborns with PCD and newborns born to mothers with PCD by independent t test. The variant spectrum and known pathogenic variants carrier rate of SLC22A5 in 2 395 healthy children in Guangzhou Women and Children′s Medical Center through whole exon sequencing were analyzed. Results:Among 200 180 neonates, 239 (0.12%) cases were screen-positive for PCD. A total of 37 patients including 15 newborns and 22 mothers had confirmed PCD. The incidence of PCD was 1/13 345 in newborns and 1/9 099 in mothers, respectively. The positive predictive value of this program was 15.5%. Taking cutoff values of C0<8.5 μmol/L or C0 8.5~9.9 μmol/L with (C3+C16)<2 μmol/L, the number of screen-positive cases would be reduced from 810 to 224 without additional false negative case, when compared with cutoff value C0<10 μmol/L only. Both levels of C0 and (C3+C16) at first screening were not significant difference between newborns with PCD and newborns born to mothers with PCD ((6.2±2.4) vs. (5.0±1.8) μmol/L, (1.4±0.4) vs. (1.2±0.5) μmol/L, t=3.826, 0.326; P=0.058, 0.572). Seven PCD mothers experienced moderate fatigue and dizziness in the morning. One of them presented with cardiomyopathy in pregnancy. Genetic analysis of the SLC22A5 gene showed that p.S467C, p.F17L, p.R254X were the three most common variants in newborns with PCD. In PCD mothers and healthy children, the p.S467C, p.F17L and R399W were the three most common whereas the severe variant p.R254X was rare. The population carrier rate for pathogenic variants was 1 in 65 and the estimated incidence of PCD was about 1/16 500. Conclusions:Newborn screening can detect PCD both in newborns and mothers. Adding a quantitative biomarker (C3+C16) <2 μmol/L into the newborn screening program can improve the PCD screen performance. The severe variant p.R253X was common in PCD newborns but rare in PCD mothers and healthy children, indicating that the current screening program maybe failed to detect all PCD newborns and under-estimated the incidence rate of PCD in Guangzhou.

Objective To investigate the baseline independent prognostic factors for 24 months survival of hepatitis B virus (HBV)-associated acute-on-chronic liver failure (ACLF) patients treated with telbivudine.Methods The prospective cohort study was conducted in HBV-associated ACLF patients who were hospitalized in Mengchao Hepatobiliary Hospital of Fujian Medical University and volunteered to be treated with telbivudine for more than 24 months.The patients were observed for survival at month 1,3,6,12,and 24 after treatment.The baseline biochemical index,coagulant function,model for end-stage liver disease (MELD) score,HBV DNA level as well as comorbidities were analyzed in this study.The count data were compared with kappa test or Fisher's exact test.For the normal distributed measurement data,the homogeneity test of variances (Levene test) was firstly used for comparison between groups.Further,the group t test was applied for variance homogeneity,while the approximate t test was applied for variance non-homogeneity and the Mann-Whitney U test was applied for the non-distributed measurement data.Results A total of 41 patients were enrolled,including 3 drop-outs and 38 accomplishments.Among these 38 patients,there were 3 females (7.9 ％) and 35 males (92.1％),with ages (38.5 ± 11.1) years.There were 32 patients alive and 6 dead during 1 month's follow-up,while baseline MELD score was the independent prognostic factor (RR=1.864,95％CI:1.151-3.019) for survival.There were 31 patients alive and 7 dead during 3 months' follow-up,while baseline MELD score and upper gastrointestinal hemorrhage (UGH) were the independent prognostic factors (RR =2.053,95％CI:1.163-3.625;RR=394.939,95％CI:1.880-82 948.817).There were both 26 patients alive and 12 dead during 6 and 12 months' follow-up,while baseline MELD score was the independent prognostic factor (RR=1.761,95％ CI:1.230-2.523).At the end of 24 months' follow-up,there were 15 patients alive and 23 dead.Viral rebounds were observed in 6 patients and 3 of them were dead.Baseline HBV DNA level,MELD score and electrolyte imbalance were the independent prognostic factors (RR-9.722,95％ CI:1.607-58.821;RR=l.518,95％ CI:1.066-2.162;RR=87.505,95％ CI:2.263-3 384.232) for 24 months'survival.Conclusions Although telbivudine is not recommended as the first-line treatment,ACLF patients with low MELD score and low HBV DNA level at baseline,individualized treatment may improve patient's survival rate.UGH and electrolyte imbalance may affect the efficacy of telbivudine and reduce the survival rate of ACLF patient.

The pathogenesis of icteric hepatitis is that pathogenic dampness blocks the middle energizer or blood stasis blocks the bile duct,so that the bile is not excreted normally and moves to the skin surface,which makes the skin yellow.Traditior al Chinese medicine (TCM) has unique advantages in the prevention and treatment of icteric hepatitis.This article systematically introduces the etiology and pathogenesis of icteric hepatitis and the TCM syndrome differentiation therapy for icteric hepatitis,in order to provide a reference for the clinical treatment of icteric hepatitis and the improvement in its prognosis.

Objectives To explore the clinical and gene mutation characteristics of Gitelman syndrome in children. Method The clinical data of 3 children with Gitelman syndrome were retrospectively analyzed. Results All three cases were male and their age were 3, 8 and 10 years . The clinical manifestations were hypokalemia, hypomagnesemia, alkalosis, hyperreninemia,and hyperaldosteronemia.Gene detection revealed a complex heterozygous mutation in the SLC12A3 gene.A total of 5 mutation sites were found in the SLC12A3 gene,c.179C>T(Thr60Met),c.248 G>A(Arg83Gln),c.2129 C>A(Ser710X), c.2660+1G>A, c.1456G>A (Asp486Asn). After the diagnosis was confirmed, they were treated with potassium supplement, magnesium supplement, and spironolactone and the conditions were improved in all cases. Conclusions In children with hypokalemia, be aware of Gitelman syndrome, and gene detection is helpful for the diagnosis.

OBJECTIVETo evaluate the controlled attenuation parameter (CAP) assessment of fatty liver and choose a cut-off value of hepatic steatosis more than 5%.

METHODSConsecutive patients, 18 years or older, who had undergone percutaneous liver biopsy and CAP measurement were recruited from five liver healthcare centers in China. All enrollees were categorized as hepatic steatosis grade S0 (<5%) or S1 (5%). An M-probe equipped FibroScan 502 was used to capture CAP values. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were plotted, and the areas under (AU) the curves were calculated to determine the diagnostic efficacy. The CAP cut-off values at the optimal thresholds were defined by maximum Youden indices; sensitivity and specificity were also calculated.

RESULTSA total of 332 patients were enrolled in the study, including 67 patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and 265 with chronic hepatitis B (CHB) viru: infection. The median age (inter quartile range, IQR) of the study cohort was 39.0 (32.0-50.5) years-old. There were 46 males (68.7%) in the NAFLD group, with a median age of 37.0 (28.0-45.0) years-old, and 182 males (68.7%) in the CHB group; the differences between the two groups in median age and male: female ratio did not reach statistical significance. Multivariate linear regression analysis identified steatosis grade and body mass index (BMI) as independently associated with CAP. The median (IQR) CAP values among patients with S0 and S1 grade steatosis were 215.0 (190.0-241.0) dB/m and 294.0 (255.0-325.5) dB/m (P<0.001), respectively. For all patients, when BMI was <25 kg/m2, the ability of the AUROC of the CAP to discriminate hepatic steatosis more than or equal to 5% was 0.853, and the optimal cut-off value was 244.5 dB/m; however, when BMI≥25 kg/m2, the AUROC was 0.835 and the optimal cut-off value 269.5 dB/m.

CONCLUSIONCAP can identify hepatic steatosis more than or equal to 5% and is applicable for the diagnosis of fatty liver if it is adjusted for BMI.

Adult ; Area Under Curve ; Bile ; Biopsy ; Body Mass Index ; China ; Fatty Liver ; Female ; Hepatitis B, Chronic ; Humans ; Linear Models ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Multivariate Analysis ; ROC Curve ; Tissue Extracts