OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the dynamic changes of glucocorticoid (GC) dose and the feasibility of GC discontinuation in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients under the background of Chinese medicine (CM). METHODS: This multicenter retrospective cohort study included 1,196 RA patients enrolled in the China Rheumatoid Arthritis Registry of Patients with Chinese Medicine (CERTAIN) from September 1, 2019 to December 4, 2023, who initiated GC therapy. Participants were divided into the Western medicine (WM) and integrative medicine (IM, combination of CM and WM) groups based on medication regimen. Follow-up was performed at least every 3 months to assess dynamic changes in GC dose. Changes in GC dose were analyzed by generalized estimator equation, the probability of GC discontinuation was assessed using Kaplan-Meier curve, and predictors of GC discontinuation were analyzed by Cox regression. Patients with <12 months of follow-up were excluded for the sensitivity analysis. RESULTS: Among 1,196 patients (85.4% female; median age 56.4 years), 880 (73.6%) received IM. Over a median 12-month follow-up, 34.3% (410 cases) discontinued GC, with significantly higher rates in the IM group (40.8% vs. 16.1% in WM; P<0.05). GC dose declined progressively, with IM patients demonstrating faster reductions (median 3.75 mg vs. 5.00 mg in WM at 12 months; P<0.05). Multivariate Cox analysis identified age <60 years [P<0.001, hazard ratios (HR)=2.142, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.523-3.012], IM therapy (P=0.001, HR=2.175, 95% CI: 1.369-3.456), baseline GC dose ⩽7.5 mg (P=0.003, HR=1.637, 95% CI: 1.177-2.275), and absence of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs use (P=0.001, HR=2.546, 95% CI: 1.432-4.527) as significant predictors of GC discontinuation. Sensitivity analysis (545 cases) confirmed these findings. CONCLUSIONS RA patients receiving CM face difficulties in following guideline-recommended GC discontinuation protocols. IM can promote GC discontinuation and is a promising strategy to reduce GC dependency in RA management. (Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov, No. NCT05219214).
Adult ; Aged ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Arthritis, Rheumatoid/drug therapy* ; Glucocorticoids/therapeutic use* ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Retrospective Studies

Objective To investigate changes in the urinary metabolite profiles of children exposed to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons(PAHs)during critical brain development and explore their potential link with the intestinal microbiota. Methods Liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry was used to determine ten hydroxyl metabolites of PAHs(OH-PAHs)in 36-month-old children.Subsequently,37 children were categorized into low-and high-exposure groups based on the sum of the ten OH-PAHs.Ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry was used to identify non-targeted metabolites in the urine samples.Furthermore,fecal flora abundance was assessed by 16S rRNA gene sequencing using Illumina MiSeq. Results The concentrations of 21 metabolites were significantly higher in the high exposure group than in the low exposure group(variable importance for projection>1,P<0.05).Most of these metabolites were positively correlated with the hydroxyl metabolites of naphthalene,fluorine,and phenanthrene(r=0.336-0.531).The identified differential metabolites primarily belonged to pathways associated with inflammation or proinflammatory states,including amino acid,lipid,and nucleotide metabolism.Additionally,these distinct metabolites were significantly associated with specific intestinal flora abundances(r=0.34-0.55),which were mainly involved in neurodevelopment. Conclusion Higher PAH exposure in young children affected metabolic homeostasis,particularly that of certain gut microbiota-derived metabolites.Further investigation is needed to explore the potential influence of PAHs on the gut microbiota and their possible association with neurodevelopmental outcomes.

Objective: To analyze and compare therapy responses, outcomes, and incidence of severe hematologic adverse events of flumatinib and imatinib in patients newly diagnosed with chronic phase chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) . Methods: Data of patients with chronic phase CML diagnosed between January 2006 and November 2022 from 76 centers, aged ≥18 years, and received initial flumatinib or imatinib therapy within 6 months after diagnosis in China were retrospectively interrogated. Propensity score matching (PSM) analysis was performed to reduce the bias of the initial TKI selection, and the therapy responses and outcomes of patients receiving initial flumatinib or imatinib therapy were compared. Results: A total of 4 833 adult patients with CML receiving initial imatinib (n=4 380) or flumatinib (n=453) therapy were included in the study. In the imatinib cohort, the median follow-up time was 54 [interquartile range (IQR), 31-85] months, and the 7-year cumulative incidences of CCyR, MMR, MR(4), and MR(4.5) were 95.2%, 88.4%, 78.3%, and 63.0%, respectively. The 7-year FFS, PFS, and OS rates were 71.8%, 93.0%, and 96.9%, respectively. With the median follow-up of 18 (IQR, 13-25) months in the flumatinib cohort, the 2-year cumulative incidences of CCyR, MMR, MR(4), and MR(4.5) were 95.4%, 86.5%, 58.4%, and 46.6%, respectively. The 2-year FFS, PFS, and OS rates were 80.1%, 95.0%, and 99.5%, respectively. The PSM analysis indicated that patients receiving initial flumatinib therapy had significantly higher cumulative incidences of CCyR, MMR, MR(4), and MR(4.5) and higher probabilities of FFS than those receiving the initial imatinib therapy (all P<0.001), whereas the PFS (P=0.230) and OS (P=0.268) were comparable between the two cohorts. The incidence of severe hematologic adverse events (grade≥Ⅲ) was comparable in the two cohorts. Conclusion: Patients receiving initial flumatinib therapy had higher cumulative incidences of therapy responses and higher probability of FFS than those receiving initial imatinib therapy, whereas the incidence of severe hematologic adverse events was comparable between the two cohorts.
Adult ; Humans ; Adolescent ; Imatinib Mesylate/adverse effects* ; Incidence ; Antineoplastic Agents/adverse effects* ; Retrospective Studies ; Pyrimidines/adverse effects* ; Leukemia, Myelogenous, Chronic, BCR-ABL Positive/drug therapy* ; Treatment Outcome ; Benzamides/adverse effects* ; Leukemia, Myeloid, Chronic-Phase/drug therapy* ; Aminopyridines/therapeutic use* ; Protein Kinase Inhibitors/therapeutic use*

Objective: To investigate the relationship between body mass index (BMI) and sexual development in Chinese children. Methods: A nationwide multicenter and population-based large cross-sectional study was conducted in 13 provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities of China from January 2017 to December 2018. Data on sex, age, height, weight were collected, BMI was calculated and sexual characteristics were analyzed. The subjects were divided into four groups based on age, including ages 3-<6 years, 6-<10 years, 10-<15 years and 15-<18 years. Multiple Logistic regression models were used for evaluating the associations of BMI with sexual development in children. Dichotomous Logistic regression was used to compare the differences in the distribution of early and non-early puberty among normal weight, overweight and obese groups. Curves were drawn to analyze the relationship between the percentage of early puberty and BMI distribution in girls and boys at different Tanner stages. Results: A total of 208 179 healthy children (96 471 girls and 111 708 boys) were enrolled in this study. The OR values of B2, B3 and B4+ in overweight girls were 1.72 (95%CI: 1.56-1.89), 3.19 (95%CI: 2.86-3.57), 7.14 (95%CI: 6.33-8.05) and in obese girls were 2.05 (95%CI: 1.88-2.24), 4.98 (95%CI: 4.49-5.53), 11.21 (95%CI: 9.98-12.59), respectively; while the OR values of G2, G3, G4+ in overweight boys were 1.27 (95%CI: 1.17-1.38), 1.52 (95%CI: 1.36-1.70), 1.88 (95%CI: 1.66-2.14) and in obese boys were 1.27 (95%CI: 1.17-1.37), 1.59 (95%CI: 1.43-1.78), and 1.93 (95%CI: 1.70-2.18) (compared with normal weight Tanner 1 group,all P<0.01). Analysis in different age groups found that OR values of obese girls at B2 stage and boys at G2 stage were 2.02 (95%CI: 1.06-3.86) and 2.32 (95%CI:1.05-5.12) in preschool children aged 3-<6 years, respectively (both P<0.05). And in the age group of 6-10 years, overweight girls had a 5.45-fold risk and obese girls had a 12.54-fold risk of B3 stage compared to girls with normal BMI. Compared with normal weight children, the risk of early puberty was 2.67 times higher in overweight girls, 3.63 times higher in obese girls, and 1.22 times higher in overweight boys, 1.35 times higher in obese boys (all P<0.01). Among the children at each Tanner stages, the percentage of early puberty increased with the increase of BMI, from 5.7% (80/1 397), 16.1% (48/299), 13.8% (27/195) to 25.7% (198/769), 65.1% (209/321), 65.4% (157/240) in girls aged 8-<9, 10-<11 and 11-<12 years, and 6.6% (34/513), 18.7% (51/273), 21.6% (57/264) to 13.3% (96/722), 46.4% (140/302), 47.5% (105/221) in boys aged 9-<10, 12-<13 and 13-<14 years, respectively. Conclusions: BMI is positively correlated with sexual development in both Chinese boys and girls, and the correlation is stronger in girls. Obesity is a risk factor for precocious puberty in preschool children aged 3-<6 years, and 6-<10 years of age is a high risk period for early development in obese girls.
Adolescent ; Body Mass Index ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; China/epidemiology* ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Obesity/epidemiology* ; Overweight/epidemiology* ; Puberty ; Puberty, Precocious ; Sexual Development

Objective: To explore the heterogeneity and correlation of clinical phenotypes and genotypes in children with disorders of sex development (DSD). Methods: A retrospective study of 1 235 patients with clinically proposed DSD in 36 pediatric medical institutions across the country from January 2017 to May 2021. After capturing 277 DSD-related candidate genes, second-generation sequencing was performed to analyzed the heterogeneity and correlation combined with clinical phenotypes. Results: Among 1 235 children with clinically proposed DSD, 980 were males and 255 were females of social gender at the time of initial diagnosis with the age ranged from 1 day of age to 17.92 years. A total of 443 children with pathogenic variants were detected through molecular genetic studies, with a positive detection rate of 35.9%. The most common clinical phenotypes were micropenis (455 cases), hypospadias (321 cases), and cryptorchidism (172 cases) and common mutations detected were in SRD5A2 gene (80 cases), AR gene (53 cases) and CYP21A2 gene (44 cases). Among them, the SRD5A2 mutation is the most common in children with simple micropenis and simple hypospadias, while the AMH mutation is the most common in children with simple cryptorchidism. Conclusions: The SRD5A2 mutation is the most common genetic variant in Chinese children with DSD, and micropenis, cryptorchidism, and hypospadias are the most common clinical phenotypes. Molecular diagnosis can provide clues about the biological basis of DSD, and can also guide clinicians to perform specific clinical examinations. Target sequence capture probes and next-generation sequencing technology can provide effective and economical genetic diagnosis for children with DSD.
3-Oxo-5-alpha-Steroid 4-Dehydrogenase/genetics* ; Child ; China/epidemiology* ; Cryptorchidism/genetics* ; Disorders of Sex Development/genetics* ; Female ; Genital Diseases, Male ; Genotype ; Humans ; Hypospadias/genetics* ; Male ; Membrane Proteins/genetics* ; Penis/abnormalities* ; Phenotype ; Retrospective Studies ; Steroid 21-Hydroxylase/genetics*

Biomarkers, Tumor ; DNA Helicases ; Humans ; Neoplasms ; Nuclear Proteins/genetics* ; Transcription Factors

Objective: To investigate the clinicopathological features, immunophenotype and differential diagnoses of SMARCA4-deificient undifferentiated carcinoma (SMARCA4-DUC) of the gastrointestinal tract. Methods: The clinicopathological data and immunohistochemical profiles of nine cases of SMARCA4-DUC of the gastrointestinal tract diagnosed in Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, from 2018 to 2021, were analyzed retrospectively. The relevant literature was reviewed. Results: There were seven males and two females with age at presentation ranging from 39 to 74 years (mean 58 years, median 64 years). The tumor occurred in the stomach (6 cases), right hemicolon (2 cases) and duodenum (1 case). The main symptoms included dysphagia, abdominal pain, diarrhea and melena. Five cases were resected, and the tumor sizes ranged from 5.0 to 8.7 cm (mean 6.7 cm). Microscopically, the tumor was composed of sheets of undifferentiated round to epithelioid cells with large vesicular nuclei harboring prominent nucleoli and displaying brisk mitotic activity. Foci of dyscohesive rhabdoid cells were also noted. The tumor cells were generally uniform; however, prominent pleomorphism and spindle cell component was present in one case each. Five cases contained areas of coagulative necrosis, and one case showed myxoid change of the stroma. By immunohistochemistry, eight cases showed complete loss of BRG1 (SMARCA4) and BRM (SMARCA2) expression. Whereas the expression of these two markers was lost in the epithelioid component of one case, it remained in the spindle cell component (mosaic pattern). Apart from one case with partial expression of pan-cytokeratin, all other eight cases showed either limited (<5%, n=5) or totally negative (n=3) staining of pan-cytokeratin. In addition, four cases also expressed CD34, SOX2 and SALL4. Six patients had follow-up data: four died of disease within 1 year. Conclusions: SMARCA4-DUC of the gastrointestinal tract represents a highly aggressive malignancy with poor outcome. Due to lack of cell-specific differentiation, it is not uncommonly misdiagnosed as a wide variety of poorly-differentiated or undifferentiated tumors. Increased recognition of this rare but distinctive entity not only facilitates the diagnosis and differential diagnosis, but also provides important therapeutic and prognostic information for the clinicians.
Biomarkers, Tumor/genetics* ; Carcinoma/pathology* ; China ; DNA Helicases ; Female ; Gastrointestinal Tract/pathology* ; Humans ; Keratins ; Male ; Nuclear Proteins ; Retrospective Studies ; Transcription Factors

Background: Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is characterized by elevated fasting glucagon and impaired suppression of postprandial glucagon secretion, which may participate in diabetic complications. Therefore, we investigated the associations of plasma glucagon with estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR), albuminuria and diabetic kidney disease (DKD) in T2DM patients. Methods: Fasting glucagon and postchallenge glucagon (assessed by area under the glucagon curve [AUCgla]) levels were determined during oral glucose tolerance tests. Patients with an eGFR <60 mL/min/1.73 m2 and/or a urinary albumin-to-creatinine ratio (UACR) ≥30 mg/g who presented with diabetic retinopathy were identified as having DKD. Results: Of the 2,436 recruited patients, fasting glucagon was correlated with eGFR and UACR (r=–0.112 and r=0.157, respectively; P<0.001), and AUCgla was also correlated with eGFR and UACR (r=–0.267 and r=0.234, respectively; P<0.001). Moreover, 31.7% (n=771) presented with DKD; the prevalence of DKD was 27.3%, 27.6%, 32.5%, and 39.2% in the first (Q1), second (Q2), third (Q3), and fourth quartile (Q4) of fasting glucagon, respectively; and the corresponding prevalence for AUCgla was 25.9%, 22.7%, 33.7%, and 44.4%, respectively. Furthermore, after adjusting for other clinical covariates, the adjusted odds ratios (ORs; 95% confidence intervals) for DKD in Q2, Q3, and Q4 versus Q1 of fasting glucagon were 0.946 (0.697 to 1.284), 1.209 (0.895 to 1.634), and 1.521 (1.129 to 2.049), respectively; the corresponding ORs of AUCgla were 0.825 (0.611 to 1.114), 1.323 (0.989 to 1.769), and 2.066 (1.546 to 2.760), respectively. Additionally, when we restricted our analysis in patients with glycosylated hemoglobin <7.0% (n=471), we found fasting glucagon and AUCgla were still independently associated with DKD. Conclusion Both increased fasting and postchallenge glucagon levels were independently associated with DKD in T2DM patients.

Objective:Compare the effects of 3 administration methods (tracheal perfusion, tail vein injection and aerosol inhalation) with bleomycin (BLM) in inducing pulmonary fibrosis in rats, in order to find out the optimal administration methods. Method:Eighty sprague-dawley (SD) male rats with SPF were randomly divided into aerosol inhalation blank group, single tracheal perfusion group(10 mg·kg^-1), multiple tracheal perfusion group(5 mg·kg^-1), single intravenous injection group(150 mg·kg^-1), multiple intravenous injection group(50 mg·kg^-1), single aerosol inhalation group (30 min)and multiple aerosol inhalation group(30 min). The mortality and body weight of rats in each group were observed at 7 d, 14 d and 28 d after the administration. And 28 days later after the administration, the lung coefficients of rats in each group were observed, paraffin sections were prepared, hematoxylin-eosin staining (HE) and Masson staining were performed, and the contents of hydroxyproline (HYP) and plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1) in lung tissues were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), so as to evaluate the alveoli inflammation and pulmonary fibrosis of rats in each group. Result:Compared with the aerosol inhalation blank group, the rats in the trachea perfusion group had the highest mortality among the drug treatment groups. The pulmonary coefficients of rats in the multiple intravenous injection group and the multiple inhalation group were significantly higher than those in the blank group(P<0.05,P<0.01). The multiple inhalation group was higher than the other model group and the single atomization model group. The results of HE and Masson staining showed thickening of pulmonary septum and higher degree of pulmonary interstitial fibrosis in tracheal perfusion group, intravenous injection group and multiple inhalation group. The degree of pulmonary fibrosis in the multiple inhalation group was more obvious than that in other groups. The results of ELISA showed that the levels of HYP and PAI-1 in lung tissues of rats in aerosol inhalation group and tracheal perfusion group were significantly higher than those in control group(P<0.05). The multiple inhalation group and the single atomization inhalation group were significantly higher than other modules. Conclusion:Bleomycin was inhaled repeatedly to establish pulmonary fibrosis model. The pathological injury and physiological indexes of the model rats were relatively stable, which conforms with the evolution process of pulmonary fibrosis.

Objective: To clarify the antitussive, expectorant, antipyretic and anti-inflammatory effects of Tanreqing inhalation solution, and provide basis and data support for further research and development of this preparation. Method: The methods of cough induced by ammonia and tracheal phenol red excretion were used to observe the antitussive and expectorant effects of Tanreqing inhalation solution in mice. The fever model of rats was established by intraperitoneal injection of bacterial lipopolysaccharide(LPS) to observe the antipyretic effect of the Tanreqing inhalation solution, the acute pneumonia model of rats was established by atomizing LPS inhalation, and the anti-inflammatory effect of Tanreqing inhalation solution was observed. Result: Tanreqing inhalation solution could reduce the number of coughs in mice induced by ammonia water, increase the amount of phenol red excretion in mouse trachea, decrease the levels of body temperature and its related regulatory factors of prostaglandin E₂(PGE₂) and cyclic adenosine monophosphate(cAMP) of rats induced by LPS, decrease the white blood cell(WBC) count and the neutrophil ratio(NEUT) in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid(BALF) of rats with LPS-induced acute pneumonia, and reduce the levels of nuclear transcription factor-κB(NF-κB) and interleukin-1β(IL-1β) in lung tissue. Conclusion: Tanreqing inhalation solution has obvious antitussive, expectorant, antipyretic and anti-inflammatory effects, which is worthy of further development and promotion.