[Objective] To investigate the factors associated with alanine aminotransferase (ALT) abnormalities in multi-ethnic blood donors across five Zang autonomous prefectures in the plateau regions of Qinghai Province, and to provide evidence for ensuring blood safety and formulating screening strategies. [Methods] A retrospective analysis was performed on the ALT abnormal test results of blood donors in the Zang autonomous prefectures of Qinghai from 2022 to 2024. The correlations between ALT levels and factors including gender, age, altitude, and infectious markers were investigated. [Results] The overall ALT unqualified rate among blood donors in this region was 9.01%. Significant differences in ALT levels were observed across genders and age groups (P<0.05). Variations in ALT abnormality rates were also noted among different plateau regions (P<0.05). Overall, ALT values exhibited an increasing trend with rising altitude. The average ALT unqualified rates were 11.19% in Zang donors, 7.96% in Han donors, and 4.79% in donors from other ethnic groups (P<0.05). No statistically significant association was observed between ALT abnormality and the presence of HBV/HCV infectious markers (P>0.05). [Conclusion] In the plateau areas of Qinghai, multi-ethnic blood donors have a relatively high ALT levels and ALT unqualified rates, showing distinct regional characteristics. ALT elevation in voluntary blood donors is related to non-pathological factors such as gender, age, and dietary habits, but not to infectious indicators.

Objective: To retrospectively analyze the prevalence of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection among voluntary blood donors in Qinghai Province over a ten-year period and to provide evidence for refining blood safety screening strategies. Methods: Blood samples from 362 066 blood donors in Qinghai collected between January 2015 and April 2024 were simultaneously screened using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and nucleic acid testing (NAT). Follow-up was conducted for donors with reactive HCV RNA screening results, and alanine transaminase (ALT) was detected by rate method. Results: The HCV positive rate among blood donors in Qinghai was 0.22%. Gender, marital status, number of blood donations, and educational level were associated with HCV infection. Significant differences in HCV positive rates were observed among donors across regions and ethnic groups. The HCV positive rate among donors in Golog Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture (with an average altitude of 4 330 m) was significantly higher than that in Xining (0.52% vs 0.21%, P<0.001). Positivity rates were also significantly higher in Salar (0.84%), Hui (0.81%), Zang (0.60%), and Tu (0.45%) ethnic groups compared to the Han ethnic group (0.17%) (P<0.001). The abnormal rate of ALT in HCV-positive donors was higher than in non-HCV donors (6.13% vs 1.55%) (P<0.001). Conclusion: The relatively high HCV positivity rate among blood donors in Qinghai highlights the need for further investigation into viral sources, risk factors, and transmission routes. Optimized screening strategies are essential to ensure blood safety.

Objective To investigate the value of anti-Müllerian hormone(AMH)in serum and cervical mucus,matrix metalloproteinases(MMPs)/tisszle inhibitor of metalloproteinase(TIMPs)combined with transvaginal ultrasound in evaluating ovarian reserve function in women preparing for a second child.Methods A total of 76 women who underwent pre-pregnancy examination and second pregnancy preparation in the Dongguan Shijie Hospital from November 2021 to September 2022 were included in the study.All the subjects underwent transvaginal ultrasound examination,and they were divided into normal group(n=32,normal ovarian function,antral follicle count≥5)and low group(n=44,ovarian hypofunction,antral follicle count<5)according to the number of sinus follicles.The transvaginal ultrasound parameters,AMH in serum and cervical mucus,and MMPs/TIMPs were compared between the two groups.Pearson linear correlation was used to analyze the relationships between ultrasound parameters,AMH in serum and cervical mucus,MMPs/TIMPs and antral follicle count.The receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curve was used to analyze the diagnostic efficacies of transvaginal ultrasound parameters,AMH in serum and cervical mucus,MMP/TIMP alone and their combination for ovarian hypofunction.Results The endometrial thickness and ovarian volume of the low group were(3.83±1.17)mm and(5.59±1.34)cm3,respectively,which were lower than those of the normal group([4.54±1.52]mm,[7.62±2.41]cm3,both P<0.05).Serum AMH level in the low group was lower than that in the normal group([2.11±0.65]ng/ml vs[4.65±3.78]ng/ml,P<0.05).There was no significant difference in the cervical mucus AMH between the two groups(both[0.08±0.02]ng/ml,P>0.05).The MMPs/TIMPs in serum and cervical mucus of the low group were 1.19±0.65 and 1.34±0.32,which were higher than those of the normal group(1.07±0.09 and 1.10±0.27,both P<0.05).Pearson correlation analysis showed that antral follicle count was positively correlated with endometrial thickness,ovarian volume and serum AMH level,and was negatively correlated with MMPs/TIMPs in serum and cervical mucus(all P<0.05).ROC curve analysis showed that the area under the curve of the combination of transvaginal ultrasound parameters,serum AMH,serum and cervical mucus MMPs/TIMPs in the diagnosis of ovarian dysfunction was 0.869,which was higher than that of each index alone(all P<0.05).Conclusion The combined application of serum AMH,serum and cervical mucus MMPs/TIMPs and transvaginal ultrasound is of great value in the evaluation of ovarian reserve function in women preparing for a second child.

The paper reported a case of a young male patient, with graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) multi-organ involvement lesions after allo-hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. The patient had diverse clinical manifestations, and overlapping acute and chronic disease processes. Acute GVHD were mainly hyperbilirubinemia, with or without elevated transaminase, bloody watery stools; chronic GVHD were highlighted by extensive skin depigmentation, oral mucosal ulcer, sick nails, etc., and chronic signs, such as membranous nephropathy, polyserositis and pulmonary restrictive ventilatory insufficiency. The diagnosis of chronic GVHD mainly relies on medical history combined with clinical manifestations, and it's needed to exclude infections, drugs and tumors. Besides, the rate of missed diagnosis and misdiagnose is high, and it requires multidisciplinary diagnosis and treatment. Combined with the literature review, it indicates that there is a greater risk of GVHD in the male recipient with female donor, and peripheral blood stem cell transplant patients have a higher incidence than bone marrow transplant patients after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, but the effect of the graft-versus-leukemia exists. Currently, glucocorticoids therapy with or without calcineurin inhibitors are the first-line treatment for GVHD, but the overall prognosis is poor.

Aging poses a major risk factor for cardiovascular diseases, the leading cause of death in the aged population. However, the cell type-specific changes underlying cardiac aging are far from being clear. Here, we performed single-nucleus RNA-sequencing analysis of left ventricles from young and aged cynomolgus monkeys to define cell composition changes and transcriptomic alterations across different cell types associated with age. We found that aged cardiomyocytes underwent a dramatic loss in cell numbers and profound fluctuations in transcriptional profiles. Via transcription regulatory network analysis, we identified FOXP1, a core transcription factor in organ development, as a key downregulated factor in aged cardiomyocytes, concomitant with the dysregulation of FOXP1 target genes associated with heart function and cardiac diseases. Consistently, the deficiency of FOXP1 led to hypertrophic and senescent phenotypes in human embryonic stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes. Altogether, our findings depict the cellular and molecular landscape of ventricular aging at the single-cell resolution, and identify drivers for primate cardiac aging and potential targets for intervention against cardiac aging and associated diseases.
Aged ; Animals ; Humans ; Aging/genetics* ; Forkhead Transcription Factors/metabolism* ; Myocytes, Cardiac/metabolism* ; Primates/metabolism* ; Repressor Proteins/metabolism* ; Transcriptome ; Macaca fascicularis/metabolism*

China has classified the Corona Virus Disease 2019(COVID-19) as a statutory category B infectious disease and managed it according to Category B since January 8, 2023.In view that Omicron variant is currently the main epidemic strain in China, in order to guide the treatment of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2(SARS-CoV-2) infection in children with the times, refer to the Diagnosis and Treatment Protocol for Novel Coronavirus Infection (Trial 10 th Edition), Expert Consensus on Diagnosis, Treatment and Prevention of Novel Coronavirus Infection in Children (Fourth Edition) and the Diagnosis and Treatment Strategy for Pediatric Related Viral Infections.The Expert Consensus on the Diagnosis, Treatment and Prevention of Novel Coronavirus Infection in Children (Fifth Edition) has been formulated and updated accordingly on related etiology, epidemiology, pathogenic mechanism, clinical manifestations, auxiliary examination, diagnosis and treatment, and added key points for the treatment of COVID-19 related encephalopathy, fulminating myocarditis and other serious complications for clinical reference.

Objective:To investigate the effect of ultra-low dose (ULD) computed tomography (CT) scanning on the diagnosis of ankle fractures and the quality of a three-dimensional printing (3DP) model.Methods:This study was a prospective study. A total of 61 patients with clinical ankle fractures treated conservatively in Zhuhai Hospital of Guangdong Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine from November 2019 to January 2022 were included in this study. Patients underwent standard dose (SD) CT scan and ultra-low dose (ULD) CT scan, respectively. The tube voltage/tube current of SD and ULD were 120 kV/100 mAs and 80 kV/10 mAs, respectively. Two senior radiologists evaluated the presence of ankle fractures. The effective radiation dose ( E), noise, signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), contrast signal-to-noise ratio (CNR), and CT value of bone cortex minus CT value of peripheral fat (CTc) were compared. The radiologists also evaluated the discoverability, diagnosability, and overall image quality of the fracture line according to Likert′s 5-point scoring method. Two senior orthopedists subjectively evaluated the quality of each 3DP model (model clarity and operation guidance). A score ≥ 3 indicated that the quality of the CT diagnostic image and 3DP model were acceptable. Results:The interval between the two CT scans was (9.23 ± 1.92) d. A total of 94 fracture sites were found. There were no missed diagnosis or misdiagnosis based on the SD and ULD scans.Noise, SNR, and CNR were better on the SD CT scanning ( F=5.92, 9.70, 8.32, P=0.00), however, CTc was higher on the ULD scans ( F=27.55, P<0.01). The image scores of the SD and ULD scans were (4.97 ± 0.18) and (4.21 ± 0.71), and the quality scores of the 3DP model (4.99 ± 0.01) and (4.87 ± 0.34), respectively. The SD scans were better than the ULD scans with respect to CT image quality and 3DP model quality ( Z=-6.88, -2.91, P<0.01), but both were considered suitable to meet clinical needs (all ≥ 3 points). The E associated with SD and ULD scannings were (34.68 ± 4.96) μSV and (1.04 ± 0.10) μSV, respectively. The latter was thus significantly better than the former ( F=38.77, P =0.00). Conclusions:The E value of ULD scanning is about 3.00% of SD scanning E, which can meet the needs of clinical diagnosis of ankle fracture and 3DP model printing diagnosis.

Group A Streptococcus (GAS) is a very important pathogen, especially for children.On a global scale, GAS is an important cause of morbidity and mortality.But the burden of disease caused by GAS is still unknown in China and also has not obtained enough attention.For this purpose, the expert consensus is comprehensively described in diagnosis, treatment and prevention of GAS diseases in children, covering related aspects of pneumology, infectiology, immunology, microbiology, cardiology, nephrology, critical care medicine and preventive medicine.Accordingly, the consensus document was intended to improve management strategies of GAS disease in Chinese children.

Age-associated changes in immune cells have been linked to an increased risk for infection. However, a global and detailed characterization of the changes that human circulating immune cells undergo with age is lacking. Here, we combined scRNA-seq, mass cytometry and scATAC-seq to compare immune cell types in peripheral blood collected from young and old subjects and patients with COVID-19. We found that the immune cell landscape was reprogrammed with age and was characterized by T cell polarization from naive and memory cells to effector, cytotoxic, exhausted and regulatory cells, along with increased late natural killer cells, age-associated B cells, inflammatory monocytes and age-associated dendritic cells. In addition, the expression of genes, which were implicated in coronavirus susceptibility, was upregulated in a cell subtype-specific manner with age. Notably, COVID-19 promoted age-induced immune cell polarization and gene expression related to inflammation and cellular senescence. Therefore, these findings suggest that a dysregulated immune system and increased gene expression associated with SARS-CoV-2 susceptibility may at least partially account for COVID-19 vulnerability in the elderly.
Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Aging ; genetics ; immunology ; Betacoronavirus ; CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes ; metabolism ; Cell Lineage ; Chromatin Assembly and Disassembly ; Coronavirus Infections ; immunology ; Cytokine Release Syndrome ; etiology ; immunology ; Cytokines ; biosynthesis ; genetics ; Disease Susceptibility ; Flow Cytometry ; methods ; Gene Expression Profiling ; Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental ; Gene Rearrangement ; Humans ; Immune System ; cytology ; growth & development ; immunology ; Immunocompetence ; genetics ; Inflammation ; genetics ; immunology ; Mass Spectrometry ; methods ; Middle Aged ; Pandemics ; Pneumonia, Viral ; immunology ; Sequence Analysis, RNA ; Single-Cell Analysis ; Transcriptome ; Young Adult

Objective:To explore the clinical efficacy and safety of the new targeted anti-immunoglobulin E (IgE) drug Omalizumab in the treatment of children with moderate and severe allergic bronchial asthma in China.Methods:The clinical data of children with moderate and severe allergic asthma who were treated in the Department of Pediatrics of Peking University First Hospital from July 2018 to January 2020 and treated with Omalizumab were retrospectively analyzed.A comparison was performed on the changes of questionnaires, including childhood asthma control test (C-ACT), pediatric asthma quality of life questionnaire (PAQLQ), mini-asthma quality of life questionnaire (Mini-AQLQ) and global evaluation of asthma treatment effectiveness (GETE), pulmonary function test, including forced expiratory volume in the first second (FEV 1), percentage to predicted value (FEV 1% pred) and small airway function, fractional concentration of exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO) and so on, before and after treating with Omalizumab. Results:A total of 15 pediatric patients completed 16 weeks of treatment follow-up.After 16 weeks of Omazumab treatment, the score of C-ACT increased from (16.001.66) scores to (25.38±0.64) scores ( F=11.969, P<0.001), PAQLQ increased from (118.08 ± 23.78) scores to (141.00 ± 11.91) scores ( F=9.289, P=0.001), Mini-AQLQ increased from (78.93±7.43) scores to (97.92±3.12) scores ( F=4.145, P=0.042), and GETE decreased from (2.47±0.27) scores to (1.60±0.19) scores ( t=2.982, P=0.010). The actual value of FEV 1, FEV 1% pred, the maximum expiratory flow percentage of the predicted value (PEF% pred), forced expiratory flow at 25% (MEF 75), forced expiratory flow at 50% (MEF 50) and maximum midexpiratory flow (MMEF 75/25), increased from (1.96±0.12) L to (2.17±0.21) L ( F=0.425, P=0.789), (81.46±2.85)% to (82.64±1.55)% ( F=0.926, P=0.465), (82.05±3.58)% to (91.10±4.67)% ( F=1.909, P=0.128), (60.36±7.43)% to (76.94±4.65)% ( F=2.120, P=0.096), (52.72±3.75)% to (73.80±8.34)% ( F=3.140, P=0.047) and (60.05±8.47)% to (74.86±10.85)% ( F=7.860, P=0.010), respectively.FeNO decreased from 25.0 (14.5, 35.5) μg/L to 20.0 (18.5, 30.0) μg/L ( Z=-0.206, P=0.840). Transient headache was observed in 1 case and evanescent eruption in 2 cases during the treatment, respectively. Conclusions:Omalizumab can significantly improve the clinical manifestations, lung function indicators and quality of life of children with moderate and severe allergic asthma, and has good safety.Thus, it is expected to play an important role in the treatment of children with moderate-to-severe allergic asthma.