Objective To investigate the thalamus and thalamic subnucleus volume changes in patients with trigeminal neuralgia(TN)and to preliminarily investigate whether there is a pain processing lateralization advantage in the thalamus.Methods The three-dimensional T1WI images of 56 TN patients and 56 matched healthy controls(HC)were collected,and thalamus and thalamic subnucleus volumes were extracted by automated segmentation via a region of interest(ROI)-based morphological analysis method.Results There was no significant difference in the whole thalamus volume between TN and HC groups.Compared with HC,the bilateral ventral lateral(VL)of the thalamus were significantly smaller in patients with right-sided trigeminal neuralgia(RTN),and no significant thalamic subnucleus volume changes were found in patients with left-sided trigeminal neuralgia(LTN).After mirror-flipping the whole-brain images of the LTN,it was found that the volume of ipsilateral thalamic VL of TN group was significantly reduced than that of HC group.The volume of ipsilateral mediodorsal lateral parvocellular(MD1)of TN group was significantly smaller than that of HC group.There was no significant difference in the volume of ipsilateral and contralateral thalamic subnucleus.Conclusion The thalamic subnucleus are exclusively reduced in volume in patients with TN,and there is no significant change in whole thalamus volume,suggesting no lateralization advantage for pain processing.

Objective To investigate the thalamus and thalamic subnucleus volume changes in patients with trigeminal neuralgia(TN)and to preliminarily investigate whether there is a pain processing lateralization advantage in the thalamus.Methods The three-dimensional T1WI images of 56 TN patients and 56 matched healthy controls(HC)were collected,and thalamus and thalamic subnucleus volumes were extracted by automated segmentation via a region of interest(ROI)-based morphological analysis method.Results There was no significant difference in the whole thalamus volume between TN and HC groups.Compared with HC,the bilateral ventral lateral(VL)of the thalamus were significantly smaller in patients with right-sided trigeminal neuralgia(RTN),and no significant thalamic subnucleus volume changes were found in patients with left-sided trigeminal neuralgia(LTN).After mirror-flipping the whole-brain images of the LTN,it was found that the volume of ipsilateral thalamic VL of TN group was significantly reduced than that of HC group.The volume of ipsilateral mediodorsal lateral parvocellular(MD1)of TN group was significantly smaller than that of HC group.There was no significant difference in the volume of ipsilateral and contralateral thalamic subnucleus.Conclusion The thalamic subnucleus are exclusively reduced in volume in patients with TN,and there is no significant change in whole thalamus volume,suggesting no lateralization advantage for pain processing.

Objective To explore the intrinsic connectivity alterations of brain-wide functional networks in patient with trigeminal neuralgia(TN)via combining resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging(rs-fMRI)and graph theory methods.Methods A total of 41 patients with TN(TN group)and 41 healthy controls(HC)(HC group)were recruited,and differences in network topologyat-tributes and correlations with clinical variables were analyzed between the two groups.Results Both groups met the σ standard.The global efficiency(Eg)of TN group was lower than that of HC group(P＜0.05),whereas the λ of TN group was higher than that of HC group(P＜0.05).The node efficiency(Ne)of bilateral rectus gyrus and bilateral pallidum of TN group were significantly higher than those of HC group,while the Ne of left supraparietal gyrus,left angular gyrus,left post-central gyrus,bilateral marginal supraparietal gyrus,and left caudate nucleus of TN group were significantly lower than those of HC group(P＜0.05).The local efficiency(Eloc)of the TN group was negatively correlated with the visual analogue scale(VAS)score(P＜0.05),the clustering coefficient(Cp)of the TN group was negatively correlated with the short-form McGill pain questionnaire(SF-MPQ)sensory score(P＜0.05),and the Ne of right rectus gyrus of the TN group was positively correlated with the disease duration(P＜0.05).Conclusion The TN group retain σ,but the overall information transfer efficiency of the brain is reduced and functional integration is diminished.Several brain regions in the TN group has abnormal Ne,which provide an objective basis for altered brain functional networks in TN.

The patient,a 42-year-old male,with a history of hepatitis B and membranous nephropathy,had inter-mittent fever and chills 12 days before admission.In the first 2 days after admission,the patient's condition aggra-vated with redness,swelling and pain in the left scrotum and perineum.Immediate surgical debridement was per-formed.The patient had a persistent low fever,with blood and pus cultures showing Candida albicans positive,thus was diagnosed fungal necrotizing fasciitis and pyomyositis.The patient was treated with echinocandins mica-fungin(150 mg,qd)for antifungal infection,and was given encroaching dressing change,hyperbaric oxygen thera-py,nutritional support,etc.Two months after surgery,the patient's condition improved and he was discharged.The early clinical symptoms of necrotizing fasciitis and pyomyositis caused by Streptococcus spp.infection lack spe-cificity,thus are prone to be delayed.For patients with concomitant immune diseases,attention should be paid to the prevention and early treatment of complex infection.The appropriate selection of empirical antifungal agents at the early stage has clinical significance.

Objective:To explore the clinical features and genetic variants in three children suspected for β-ketothiolase deficiency (BKTD).Methods:Clinical manifestations, laboratory examination and genetic testing of three children suspected for BKTD at Henan Children′s Hospital between January 2018 and October 2022 were collected, and their clinical and genetic variants were retrospectively analyzed.Results:The children were all males with a age from 7 to 11 months. Their clinical manifestations have included poor spirit, shortness of breath, vomiting, convulsions after traumatic stress and/or infection. All of them had severe metabolic acidosis, elevated ketone bodies in blood and urine, hypoglycemia, with increased isoprenyl-carnitine and 3-hydroxyisovalyl-carnitine in the blood, and 2-methyl-3-hydroxybutyrate and methylprotaroyl glycine in the urine. All of them were found to harbor compound heterozygous variants of the ACAT1 gene, including c. 1183G>T and a large fragment deletion (11q22.3-11q23.1) in child 1, c. 121-3C>G and c. 826+ 5_826+ 9delGTGTT in child 2, and c. 928G>C and c. 1142T>C in child 3. The variants harbored by children 2 and 3 were known to be pathogenic or likely pathogenic. The heterozygous c. 1183G>T variant in child 1 was unreported previously and rated as a variant of unknown significance (PM2_Supporting+ PP3+ PP4) based on guidelines from the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics. The large segment deletion in 11q22.3-11q23.1 has not been included in the DGV Database and was rated as a pathogenic copy number variation. Conclusion:The variants of the ACAT1 gene probably underlay the pathogenesis of BKTD in these three children.

The clinical data of a patient with Klinefelter syndrome (KS) complicated by partial androgen insensitivity syndrome (PAIS) was retrospectively analyzed.The patient, a 2-month-and-22-day-old baby, was admitted to Children′s Hospital Affiliated to Zhengzhou University due to abnormal external genitalia in October 2021.Upon birth, the patient exhibited abnormal external genitalia, manifested as clitoral hypertrophy.Hormonal examinations were consistent with those of peers, while chromosomal analysis revealed 47, XXY.Due to the severe undermasculinization, whole exome sequencing was conducted, indicating a heterozygous variant of the AR gene (c.1847G>A, p.Arg616His). The patient was diagnosed with PAIS, and her elder sister was diagnosed with complete androgen insensitivity syndrome.For further treatment, a multidisciplinary comprehensive evaluation is needed.This is a rare case of KS combined with PAIS, suggesting the possibility of AR gene mutations in KS children with severe undermasculinization.

Objective To establish the methods of galvanic vestibular stimulation-vestibular evoked myogenic potentials(GVS-VEMPs)in healthy children and to obtain the normal value of GVS-cVEMP and GVS-oVEMP in these children in China.Methods Twenty(3～14 years)healthy children and 24 healthy adults(18～30 years)were enrolled for conventional examinations of GVS-cVEMP and GVS-oVEMP.Using the galvanic stimulation in-tensity under 3 mA/1 ms for children and 5 mA/1 ms for adults.The characteristics of elicitation and parameter re-sults of GVS-cVEMP and GVS-oVEMP in children and adults,as well as the pain scores and the elicitation of differ-ent stimulus intensities in the two age groups were recorded.Results The elicitation of GVS-cVEMP and GVS-oVEMP were both 100.0％in children and adult groups.The p1 latency,n1 latency and p1-n1 interval latency of GVS-cVEMP were 10.46±1.84 ms,16.98±2.12 ms and 6.52±1.42 ms respectively in children group,the n1 la-tency and p1-n1 interval latency were significantly shorter than the adult group(P＜0.05).The n1 latency,p1 la-tency and p1-n1 interval latency of GVS-oVEMP were 8.87±1.40 ms,12.25±1.80 ms and 3.39±1.07 ms re-spectively in children group with no significant difference between the two groups.The thresholds of GVS-cVEMP and GVS-oVEMP in children group were significantly lower than adult group(P＜0.01),but no differences were found in adult group regarding on the amplitude and interaural amplitude asymmetry ratio.In addition,with the in-crease of the intensity of galvanic stimulation,the correlation between pain scores and the elicitation rates of GVS-cVEMP and GVS-oVEMP also increased.Conclusion Using appropriate stimulus intensity and recording methods,GVS-cVEMP and GVS-oVEMP could be successfully assessed and detected in healthy children over 3 years old and adolescents.The latency of GVS-cVEMP in children is slightly shorter than that in adults,therefore we recommend selecting the matched age group for assessment in the children group.

Objective:To observe the clinical effect of electroacupuncture(EA)combined with exercise therapy on balance function in patients with knee osteoarthritis(KOA). Methods:Seventy patients with KOA were randomly divided into a treatment group and a control group,with 35 cases in each group.The treatment group was treated with EA combined with exercise therapy.EA was applied to Dubi(ST35),Neixiyan(EX-LE4),Xuehai(SP10),Liangqiu(ST34),Yanglingquan(GB34),and Zusanli(ST 36).Exercise therapy(muscle strength training and knee mobility training)was applied after EA.The control group only received the same exercise therapy as the treatment group.The two groups were treated with the same course of treatment,3 times a week for 4 consecutive weeks,12 times in total,and followed up for 1 month.The Pro-Kin254P balance test system was used to measure the balance function parameters at 4 time points,including before treatment,after 1 session of treatment,after 12 sessions of treatment,and at 1-month follow-up after treatment.The visual analog scale(VAS)and the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities osteoarthritis index(WOMAC)scores were recorded. Results:The markedly effective rate and total effective rate in the treatment group were higher than those in the control group(P<0.01).The Romberg area,Romberg length,and VAS scores of the two groups decreased significantly after 1 session of treatment,12 sessions of treatment,and 1 month after treatment,and the differences between different time points in the same group were statistically significant(P<0.01).There were significant differences between the two groups at the same time point(P<0.05).The total WOMAC scores of the two groups after 1 session of treatment,12 sessions of treatment,and 1 month after treatment decreased significantly,and there were significant differences between different time points in the same group(P<0.05),but there was no significant difference between the two groups at the same time point(P>0.05). Conclusion:EA combined with exercise therapy or exercise therapy alone can enhance the balance function,relieve joint pain,and improve joint function in patients with KOA.EA combined with exercise therapy is superior to exercise therapy alone in improving balance function and pain,but the two treatment protocols have similar effects in improving joint function.

Objective:To summarize the clinical and pathological characteristics, treatment methods, and prognosis of papillary renal neoplasm with reverse polarity (PRNRP).Methods:The clinical and pathological data of six pathologically confirmed PRNRP patients admitted to Renji Hospital affiliated with Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine from August 2022 to August 2023 were retrospectively analyzed. Among them, three were male and three were female, with an average age of (55.3±10.5) years old. All six cases were incidentally discovered during health examinations. Preoperative contrast-enhanced CT scans showed tumors with cortical phase manifestations of uneven enhancement, avascularity, and indistinct borders, with CT values of (85.6±18.7) HU. In the corticomedullary phase, the CT values showed mild elevation, with an average of (94.3±4.7) HU. In the delayed phase, the tumor boundaries were clear, and the enhancement degree was significantly lower than that of the surrounding renal cortex and medulla, with a tumor CT value of (86.3±11.9) HU. The pseudocapsule of the tumor was not clearly displayed on contrast-enhanced CT scans. All cases underwent partial nephrectomy, including two cases of robot-assisted laparoscopic partial nephrectomy and four cases of laparoscopic partial nephrectomy.Results:Postoperative pathological measurements revealed a maximum tumor diameter ranging from 6 to 15 mm, with an average diameter of (11.0±3.5) mm. All six cases were classified as pT 1aN 0M 0 stage. Microscopically, the tumors exhibited branching papillary structures with eosinophilic cytoplasm, and the tumor cells displayed low-grade nuclei located at the top of the cytoplasm and away from the basal membrane. Immunohistochemical analysis showed diffuse strong positivity for GATA3 and CK7, while CA-Ⅸ expression was negative. The median follow-up time after surgery was 10(9, 13) months, and no tumor recurrence or metastasis was observed. Conclusions:PRNRP is a rare, low-grade malignant papillary renal tumor. Contrast-enhanced CT scan has characteristic features of avascularity. Pathological morphological features are low-grade nuclei located at the top of the cytoplasm and far away from the basal membrane, forming a "reverse polarity". The immunophenotype shows positive expression of GATA3 and CK7. Partial nephrectomy is the recommended treatment approach, and the postoperative prognosis is favorable.

Objective:To explore the efficacy and safety of sirolimus in the treatment of diazoxide unresponsive congenital hyperinsulinism(CHI) and summarize the single-center experience.Methods:A retrospective analysis was conducted on the clinical data of 5 cases of CHI treated with sirolimus after ineffective treatment with diazoxide, admitted to the Children′s Hospital Affiliated to Zhengzhou University from January 2017 to December 2022. The efficacy and safety of sirolimus in the treatment of CHI were evaluated.Results:The study included 5 patients, 3 males and 2 females. The age of onset ranged from 1 to 90 days. Initial symptoms included poor mental state(2/5) and convulsions(3/5). Blood glucose levels were 1.1 to 2.3 mmol/L, and insulin levels ranged from 13.52 to 70.53 μIU/mL. Two cases were classified as diffuse type, and the histological type of 3 cases was unknown. Genetic testing confirmed the diagnosis, with whole-exome sequencing revealing an unreported novel mutation in 1 case(ABCC8 exon 25_28del). Of the five patients, three patients were treated with sirolimus after diazoxide and octreotide failed, one patient was treated after unresponsive diazoxide, and the other one was treated after diazoxide, octreotide, and even near-total pancreatectomy failed. The onset age of sirolimus therapy ranged from 1 to 20 months. The maximum dosage of sirolimus was 1.2-3.2 mg·m -2·d -1, and the duration of medication ranged from 2 to 12 months. One patient was fully responsive to sirolimus, and the other four patients were partially responsive. All patients achieved euglycemia with sirolimus alone or in combination with standard CHI treatment. During follow-up, non-infectious diarrhea, elevated carcinoembryonic antigen, elevated triglycerides, and elevated liver enzymes were observed. Conclusion:This study indicates that sirolimus has a certain degree of efficacy in CHI patients for whom diazoxide treatment is ineffective. However, the long-term efficacy and safety warrant further multicenter trials.