Objective:To explore the clinical characteristics, diagnosis and treatment strategies, and prognosis of pulmonary embolism (PE) complicating childhood rheumatic diseases.Methods:A retrospective case series study was performed on the demographic data, laboratory indicators, imaging features, treatment regimens, and follow-up data of 8 children with rheumatic diseases complicated by PE who were admitted to the Department of Rheumatology and Immunology, Capital Center for Children′s Health, Capital Medical University from January 2014 to October 2023.Results:Among the 8 children, there were 4 boys and 4 girls, with an age of 12.0 (7.5, 13.0) years. Among the primary diseases, there were 3 cases of systemic lupus erythematosus, 2 cases of Beh?et′s disease, 2 cases of Takayasu arteritis, and 1 case of antiphospholipid syndrome. All children developed PE during the active phase of the primary disease. PE was detected at the onset of the primary disease in 3 cases, and the median time from the diagnosis of the primary disease to the development of PE was 10.0 (6.0, 25.0) months in the remaining 5 cases. Fever was present in all 8 children, 4 cases were accompanied by chest tightness, dyspnea, etc., and 2 cases only presented with fever. Laboratory examinations revealed the following results: erythrocyte sedimentation rate was 42.0 (17.0, 78.0) mm/1 h, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein was 12.7 (2.6, 78.7) mg/L, white blood cell count was 9.6 (7.2, 18.7)×10 9/L; D-dimer was 2.3 (0.9, 6.2) mg/L; and hemoglobin was (109±16) g/L.Imaging examinations revealed that 5 cases had involvement of the bilateral lower pulmonary arteries, 5 cases had peripheral embolism, and 3 cases had central PE. Complications included 3 cases of deep vein thrombosis, 2 cases of intracranial venous sinus thrombosis, and 1 case of mild pulmonary hypertension.In terms of treatment, 7 cases received anticoagulation with heparin followed by warfarin. Immunomodulation was mainly based on glucocorticoids combined with immunosuppressants, and 4 cases were combined with biological agents. The follow-up time of 4.17 (1.75, 7.17) years, the time for complete absorption of PE was 10.5 (6.0, 18.0) months; all 8 children had no target events, with no recurrence or chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension, and the pulmonary artery remodeling was good. Conclusions:PE complicating childhood rheumatic diseases is closely related to the activity of the primary disease. The clinical manifestations are insidious, with fever as the main symptom. Imaging examination is the key to diagnosis.Early adoption of heparin followed by warfarin anticoagulation and glucocorticoids combined with immunosuppressants and (or) biological agents to control the primary disease can achieve a favorable prognosis.

Objective:To explore the clinical characteristics, diagnosis and treatment strategies, and prognosis of pulmonary embolism (PE) complicating childhood rheumatic diseases.Methods:A retrospective case series study was performed on the demographic data, laboratory indicators, imaging features, treatment regimens, and follow-up data of 8 children with rheumatic diseases complicated by PE who were admitted to the Department of Rheumatology and Immunology, Capital Center for Children′s Health, Capital Medical University from January 2014 to October 2023.Results:Among the 8 children, there were 4 boys and 4 girls, with an age of 12.0 (7.5, 13.0) years. Among the primary diseases, there were 3 cases of systemic lupus erythematosus, 2 cases of Beh?et′s disease, 2 cases of Takayasu arteritis, and 1 case of antiphospholipid syndrome. All children developed PE during the active phase of the primary disease. PE was detected at the onset of the primary disease in 3 cases, and the median time from the diagnosis of the primary disease to the development of PE was 10.0 (6.0, 25.0) months in the remaining 5 cases. Fever was present in all 8 children, 4 cases were accompanied by chest tightness, dyspnea, etc., and 2 cases only presented with fever. Laboratory examinations revealed the following results: erythrocyte sedimentation rate was 42.0 (17.0, 78.0) mm/1 h, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein was 12.7 (2.6, 78.7) mg/L, white blood cell count was 9.6 (7.2, 18.7)×10 9/L; D-dimer was 2.3 (0.9, 6.2) mg/L; and hemoglobin was (109±16) g/L.Imaging examinations revealed that 5 cases had involvement of the bilateral lower pulmonary arteries, 5 cases had peripheral embolism, and 3 cases had central PE. Complications included 3 cases of deep vein thrombosis, 2 cases of intracranial venous sinus thrombosis, and 1 case of mild pulmonary hypertension.In terms of treatment, 7 cases received anticoagulation with heparin followed by warfarin. Immunomodulation was mainly based on glucocorticoids combined with immunosuppressants, and 4 cases were combined with biological agents. The follow-up time of 4.17 (1.75, 7.17) years, the time for complete absorption of PE was 10.5 (6.0, 18.0) months; all 8 children had no target events, with no recurrence or chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension, and the pulmonary artery remodeling was good. Conclusions:PE complicating childhood rheumatic diseases is closely related to the activity of the primary disease. The clinical manifestations are insidious, with fever as the main symptom. Imaging examination is the key to diagnosis.Early adoption of heparin followed by warfarin anticoagulation and glucocorticoids combined with immunosuppressants and (or) biological agents to control the primary disease can achieve a favorable prognosis.

BACKGROUND: Atrial fibrillation (AF) is a common cardiac arrhythmia in the elderly. This study aimed to evaluate urban-rural disparities in its prevalence and management in elderly Chinese. METHODS: Consecutive participants aged ≥ 65 years attending outpatient clinics were enrolled for AF screening using handheld single-lead electrocardiogram (ECG) from April 2017 to December 2022. Each ECG rhythm strip was reviewed from the research team. AF or uninterpretable single-lead ECGs were referred for 12-lead ECG. Primary study outcome comparison was between rural and urban areas for the prevalence of AF. The Student's t-test was used to compare mean values of clinical characteristics between rural and urban participants, while the Pearson's chi-square test was used to compare between-group proportions. Multivariate stepwise logistic regression analysis was performed to estimate the association between AF and various patient characteristics. RESULTS: The 29,166 study participants included 13,253 men (45.4%) and had a mean age of 72.2 years. The 7073 rural participants differed significantly (P ≤ 0.02) from the 22,093 urban participants in several major characteristics, such as older age, greater body mass index, and so on. The overall prevalence of AF was 4.6% (n = 1347). AF was more prevalent in 7073 rural participants than 22,093 urban participants (5.6% vs. 4.3%, P < 0.01), before and after adjustment for age, body mass index, blood pressure, pulse rate, cigarette smoking, alcohol consumption and prior medical history. Multivariate logistic regression analysis identified overweight/obesity (OR = 1.35, 95% CI: 1.17-1.54) in urban areas and cigarette smoking (OR = 1.62, 95% CI: 1.20-2.17) and alcohol consumption (OR = 1.42, 95% CI: 1.04-1.93) in rural areas as specific risk factors for prevalent AF. In patients with known AF in urban areas (n = 781) and rural areas (n = 338), 60.6% and 45.9%, respectively, received AF treatment (P < 0.01), and only 22.4% and 17.2%, respectively, received anticoagulation therapy (P = 0.05). CONCLUSIONS In China, there are urban-rural disparities in AF in the elderly, with a higher prevalence and worse management in rural areas than urban areas. Our study findings provide insight for health policymakers to consider urban-rural disparity in the prevention and treatment of AF.

BACKGROUND: Hypertension is associated with an increased risk of calcific aortic valve stenosis (CAVS). However, the directionality of causation between blood pressure traits and aortic stenosis is unclear, as is the benefit of antihypertensive drugs for CAVS. METHODS: Using genome-wide association studies (GWAS) summary statistics, we performed bidirectional two-sample univariable mendelian randomization (UVMR) to assess the causal associations of systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), and pulse pressure (PP) with CAVS. Multivariable mendelian randomization (MVMR) was conducted to evaluate the direct effect of hypertension on CAVS, adjusting for confounders. Drug target mendelian randomization (MR) and summary-level MR (SMR) were used to estimate the effects of 12 classes of antihypertensive drugs and their target genes on CAVS risk. Inverse variance weighting was the primary MR method, with sensitivity analyses to validate results. RESULTS: UVMR showed SBP, DBP, and PP have causal effects on CAVS, with no significant reverse causality. MVMR confirmed the causality between hypertension and CAVS after adjusting for confounders. Drug-target MR analyses indicated that calcium channel blockers (CCBs), loop diuretics, and thiazide diuretics via SBP lowering exerted protective effects on CAVS risk. SMR analysis showed that the CCBs target gene CACNA2D2 and ARBs target gene AGTR1 were positively associated with CAVS risk, while diuretics target genes SLC12A5 and SLC12A1 were negatively associated with aortic stenosis risk. CONCLUSIONS Hypertension has a causal relationship with CAVS. Managing SBP in hypertensive patients with CCBs may prevent CAVS. ARBs might exert protective effects on CAVS independent of blood pressure reduction. The relationship between diuretics and CAVS is complex, with opposite effects through different mechanisms.

Hemorrhagic shock is a common clinical emergency that can aggravate cell injury after resuscitation. Astrocytes are crucial for the survival of neurons because they regulate the surrounding ionic microenvironment of neurons. Although hemorrhagic shock and resuscitation (HSR) injury can impair cognition, it remains unclear how this insult directly affects astrocytes. In this study, we established an HSR model by bleeding and re-transfusion in mice. The social interaction test and new object recognition test were applied to evaluate post-operative cognitive changes, and the results suggest that mice experience cognitive impairment following exposure to HSR. In the HSR group, the power spectral density of β and γ oscillations decreased, and the coupling of the θ oscillation phase and γ oscillation amplitude was abnormal, which indicated abnormal neuronal oscillation and cognitive impairment after HSR exposure. In brief, cognitive impairment in mice is strongly correlated with Ca²⁺ signal strength in lateral septum astrocytes following HSR.
Animals ; Astrocytes/metabolism* ; Shock, Hemorrhagic/metabolism* ; Resuscitation/adverse effects* ; Male ; Mice ; Calcium Signaling/physiology* ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; Septal Nuclei/metabolism* ; Cognitive Dysfunction/etiology* ; Disease Models, Animal ; Cognition Disorders/etiology*

PURPOSE: To investigate the protective effect of sub-hypothermic mechanical perfusion combined with membrane lung oxygenation on ischemic hypoxic injury of yorkshire brain tissue caused by traumatic blood loss. METHODS: This article performed a random controlled trial. Brain tissue of 7 yorkshire was selected and divided into the sub-low temperature anterograde machine perfusion group (n = 4) and the blank control group (n = 3) using the random number table method. A yorkshire model of brain tissue injury induced by traumatic blood loss was established. Firstly, the perfusion temperature and blood oxygen saturation were monitored in real-time during the perfusion process. The number of red blood cells, hemoglobin content, NA⁺, K⁺, and Ca²⁺ ions concentrations and pH of the perfusate were detected. Following perfusion, we specifically examined the parietal lobe to assess its water content. The prefrontal cortex and hippocampus were then dissected for histological evaluation, allowing us to investigate potential regional differences in tissue injury. The blank control group was sampled directly before perfusion. All statistical analyses and graphs were performed using GraphPad Prism 8.0 Student t-test. All tests were two-sided, and p value of less than 0.05 was considered to indicate statistical significance. RESULTS: The contents of red blood cells and hemoglobin during perfusion were maintained at normal levels but more red blood cells were destroyed 3 h after the perfusion. The blood oxygen saturation of the perfusion group was maintained at 95% - 98%. NA⁺ and K⁺ concentrations were normal most of the time during perfusion but increased significantly at about 4 h. The Ca²⁺ concentration remained within the normal range at each period. Glucose levels were slightly higher than the baseline level. The pH of the perfusion solution was slightly lower at the beginning of perfusion, and then gradually increased to the normal level. The water content of brain tissue in the sub-low and docile perfusion group was 78.95% ± 0.39%, which was significantly higher than that in the control group (75.27% ± 0.55%, t = 10.49, p < 0.001), and the difference was statistically significant. Compared with the blank control group, the structure and morphology of pyramidal neurons in the prefrontal cortex and CA1 region of the hippocampal gyrus were similar, and their integrity was better. The structural integrity of granulosa neurons was destroyed and cell edema increased in the perfusion group compared with the blank control group. Immunofluorescence staining for glail fibrillary acidic protein and Iba1, markers of glial cells, revealed well-preserved cell structures in the perfusion group. While there were indications of abnormal cellular activity, the analysis showed no significant difference in axon thickness or integrity compared to the 1-h blank control group. CONCLUSIONS Mild hypothermic machine perfusion can improve ischemia and hypoxia injury of yorkshire brain tissue caused by traumatic blood loss and delay the necrosis and apoptosis of yorkshire brain tissue by continuous oxygen supply, maintaining ion homeostasis and reducing tissue metabolism level.
Animals ; Perfusion/methods* ; Disease Models, Animal ; Brain Injuries/etiology* ; Swine ; Male ; Hypothermia, Induced/methods*

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the effectiveness of single-balloon and double-balloon enteroscopy in diagnosing pediatric small bowel diseases and assess the diagnostic efficacy of computed tomography enterography (CTE) for small bowel diseases using enteroscopy as the reference standard. METHODS: Clinical data from 576 children who underwent enteroscopy at Hunan Children's Hospital between January 2017 and December 2023 were retrospectively collected. The children were categorized based on enteroscopy type into the single-balloon enteroscopy (SBE) group (n=457) and double-balloon enteroscopy (DBE) group (n=119), and the clinical data were compared between the two groups. The sensitivity and specificity of CTE for diagnosing small bowel diseases were evaluated using enteroscopy results as the standard. RESULTS: Among the 576 children, small bowel lesions were detected by enteroscopy in 274 children (47.6%).There was no significant difference in lesion detection rates or complication rates between the SBE and DBE groups (P>0.05), but the DBE group had deeper insertion, longer procedure time, and higher complete small bowel examination rate (P<0.05). The complication rate during enteroscopy was 4.3% (25/576), with 18 cases (3.1%) of mild complications and 7 cases (1.2%) of severe complications, which improved with symptomatic treatment, surgical, or endoscopic intervention. Among the 412 children who underwent CTE, the sensitivity and specificity for diagnosing small bowel diseases were 44.4% and 71.3%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS SBE and DBE have similar diagnostic efficacy for pediatric small bowel diseases, but DBE is preferred for suspected deep small bowel lesions and comprehensive small bowel examination. Enteroscopy in children demonstrates relatively good overall safety. CTE demonstrates relatively low sensitivity but comparatively high specificity for diagnosing small bowel diseases.
Retrospective Studies ; Treatment Outcome ; Double-Balloon Enteroscopy/statistics & numerical data* ; Single-Balloon Enteroscopy/statistics & numerical data* ; Humans ; Male ; Female ; Child ; Operative Time ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed/statistics & numerical data* ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Intestine, Small/surgery* ; Intestinal Diseases/surgery*

OBJECTIVES: To study clinical manifestations and gene mutation features of neonates with centronuclear myopathy. METHODS: A retrospective analysis was conducted on the medical data of 5 neonates with centronuclear myopathy diagnosed in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit of Children's Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine from January 2020 to August 2024. The data included gender, gestational age, birth weight, Apgar score, clinical manifestations, creatine kinase level, electromyography, genetic testing results and the outcomes of the infants. RESULTS: All 5 male neonates had a history of postpartum asphyxia and resuscitation. They all presented with hypotonia, myasthenia, and respiratory failure; two neonates also had swallowing dysfunction. Of the five neonates, three had normal creatine kinase levels, while two had slightly elevated levels. Electromyography was performed for three neonates, among whom two had myogenic damage. MTM1 gene mutations were identified by genetic testing in all five neonates, including two nonsense mutations and three missense mutations, among which one variant had not been previously reported. Four mutations were inherited from the mother, and the other one was a de novo mutation. The five neonates showed no clinical improvement following treatment, failed weaning from mechanical ventilation, and ultimately died after withdrawal of life-sustaining therapy. CONCLUSIONS Centronuclear myopathy caused by MTM1 gene mutation often has a severe phenotype and a poor prognosis, and it should be considered for neonates with hypotonia and myasthenia after birth. Genetic testing should be performed as soon as possible.
Humans ; Myopathies, Structural, Congenital/genetics* ; Male ; Infant, Newborn ; Retrospective Studies ; Mutation ; Female ; Protein Tyrosine Phosphatases, Non-Receptor/genetics*

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the expression levels of EZH2 and KMT2D in patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) and their relationship with pathological features. METHODS: 84 patients with DLBCL treated in our hospital from January 2021 to June 2022 were selected as the study subjects, and clinical characteristics such as sex, age and pathological classification of the patients were collected. Immunohistochemistry was used to detecet the expression of KMT2D and EZH2 proteins in tumor tissue cells of the DLBCL patients. The differential expression of KMT2D and EZH2 in subgroups of different sexes, ages, primary sites, clinical stages, Hans subtypes, etc. were compared. The correlation between the expression of KMT2D and EZH2 protein and BCL-6, CD79A was analyzed and validated through the interaction of protein molecular structures. We followed up and recorded the survival status of the patients for 12 months, and analyzed the factors that affect the mortality of DLBCL patients. RESULTS: The positive rate of KMT2D and EZH2 was high (over 95%) in DLBCL patients. There was no significant difference in the expression of EZH2 and KMT2D among subgroups of different sexes, ages and stages (P >0.05). However, patients with different levels of BCL-6 and CD79A expression showed differences in EZH2 and KMT2D expression (P < 0.05). EZH2 and KMT2D were positively correlated with BCL-6 (r =0.391, r =0.332) and CD79A (r =0.309, r =0.258), respectively, and there were interactions in the protein molecular structures. The risk factors for mortality in DLBCL patients include male sex (OR =1.106, 95%CI : 1.082-1.130, P < 0.001), stage II (OR =1.778, 95%CI : 1.567-2.016, P < 0.001), stage IV (OR =2.233, 95%CI : 2.021-2.467, P < 0.001), EZH2 positive (OR =2.762, 95%CI : 1.304-5.850, P =0.008), BCL-6 positive (OR =7.309, 95%CI : 1.340-39.859, P =0.022), age≥74 years (OR =3.080, 95%CI : 1.658-5.723, P < 0.001), and 63-73 years old (OR =2.400, 95%CI : 1.564-3.682, P < 0.001), while KMT2D positive (OR =0.180, 95%CI : 0.054-0.608, P =0.006) and 41-51 years old (OR =0.406, 95%CI : 0.274-0.603, P < 0.001) were factors which could reduce the risk of mortality. CONCLUSION EZH2 and KMT2D are highly expressed in patients with DLBCL, and they are positively correlated with BCL-6 and CD79A, and affect the prognosis of DLBCL patients.
Humans ; Enhancer of Zeste Homolog 2 Protein/metabolism* ; Lymphoma, Large B-Cell, Diffuse/metabolism* ; DNA-Binding Proteins/metabolism* ; Female ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Adult ; Neoplasm Proteins/metabolism* ; Aged ; Immunohistochemistry ; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-6/metabolism* ; Prognosis

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the relationship between serum levels of fibroblast growth factor-23 (FGF-23), heparanase (HPSE) and early renal impairment (RI) in patients with multiple myeloma (MM). METHODS: A retrospective analysis was conducted on the clinical data of 125 MM patients who were initially diagnosed in the Department of Hematology of the First Affiliated Hospital of Baotou Medical College, Inner Mongolia University of Science and Technology from June 2020 to June 2023. The patients were divided into RI group (>176.80 μmol/L) and non-RI group (≤176.80 μmol/L) based on their serum creatinine levels when diagnosed. The baseline data and laboratory indexes of the two groups were compared. The relationship between serum FGF-23, HPSE and early RI in MM patients was analyzed. RESULTS: Among 125 newly diagnosed MM patients, 33 cases developed early RI, accounting for 26.40%. The proportion of light chain type, blood urea nitrogen (BUN), blood uric acid, lactate dehydrogenase, FGF-23, and HPSE levels in RI group were higher than those in non-RI group (all P <0.05). There was no statistical significant difference in other data between the two groups (P >0.05). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that BUN, FGF-23 and HPSE were associated with early RI in MM patients (all P <0.05). The serum FGF-23 level was divided into Q1-Q4 groups by quartile, and the serum HPSE level was divided into q1-q4 groups. The correlation analysis showed that with the increase of serum FGF-23 and HPSE levels, the incidence of early RI increased (r =0.668, 0.592). Furthermore, logistic regression analysis showed that after controlling for confounding factors, elevated levels of serum FGF-23 and HPSE were still influencing factors for early RI in MM patients (OR>1, P <0.05). According to Pearson's linear correlation test, there was a positive correlation between serum FGF-23 level and HPSE level (r =0.373). CONCLUSION There is a certain correlation between serum levels of FGF-23, HPSE and early RI in MM patients, and the incidence of early RI is higher in patients with abnormally high levels of both.
Humans ; Multiple Myeloma/complications* ; Fibroblast Growth Factor-23 ; Retrospective Studies ; Fibroblast Growth Factors/blood* ; Glucuronidase/blood* ; Male ; Female ; Middle Aged ; Renal Insufficiency/blood* ; Aged