Most of the current research on depression focuses on neuronal regulation,while the astrocytic mechanism of depression is far from explored.Astrocytes are the most numerous and widely distributed glial cells in the central nervous system.With a complex structural morphology,astrocytes play an important role in a variety of neuropsychiatric disorders by interacting with neuronal synapses,vasculature and other glial cells.Recent studies have shown that astrocytes may be involved in depression by regulating monoamine transmitters,glutamate cycle,synaptic plasticity,energy metabo-lism,and neuroinflammation.This review is intended to inspire new ideas for the treatment of depres-sion and the development of novel drugs based on astrocyte regulation.

Objective:To explore the clinical characteristics and genetic variants in three children with late-onset Multiple acyl-Coenzyme A dehydrogenase deficiency (MADD type Ⅲ).Methods:Clinical data of three children diagnosed with late-onset MADD at the Children′s Hospital Affiliated to Zhengzhou University between March 2020 and March 2022 were retrospectively analyzed. All children were subjected to whole exome sequencing (WES), and candidate variants were verified by Sanger sequencing. All children had received improved metabolic therapy and followed up for 1 ~ 3 years.Results:The children had included 2 males and 1 female, and aged from 2 months to 11 years and 7 months. Child 1 had intermittent vomiting, child 2 had weakness in lower limbs, while child 3 had no symptom except abnormal neonatal screening. Tandem mass spectrometry of the three children showed elevation of multiple acylcarnitines with short, medium and long chains. Children 1 and 2 showed increased glutaric acid and multiple dicarboxylic acids by urine Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis. All children were found to harbor compound heterozygous variants of the ETFDH gene, including a paternal c. 1211T>C (p.M404T) and a maternal c. 488-22T>G variant in child 1, a paternal c. 1717C>T (p.Q573X) and a maternal c. 250G>A (p.A84T) variant in child 2, and a paternal c. 1285+ 1G>A and maternal c. 629A>G (p.S210N) variant in child 3. As for the treatment, high-dose vitamin B2, levocarnitine and coenzyme Q 10 were given to improve the metabolism, in addition with a low fat, hypoproteinic and high carbohydrate diet. All children showed a stable condition with normal growth and development during the follow-up. Conclusion:The compound heterozygous variants of the ETFDH gene probably underlay the muscle weakness, remittent vomiting, elevated short, medium, and long chain acylcarnitine, as well as elevated glutaric acid and various dicarboxylic acids in the three children with type Ⅲ MADD.

Objective:To investigate the clinical features and outcomes of adolescence-onset methylmalonic acidemia (MMA) and explore preventive strategies.Methods:This was a retrospective case analysis of the phenotypes, genotypes and prognoses of adolescence-onset MMA patients. There were 55 patients diagnosed in Peking University First Hospital from January 2002 to June 2023, the data of symptoms, signs, laboratory results, gene variations, and outcomes was collected. The follow-ups were done through WeChat, telephone, or clinic visits every 3 to 6 months.Results:Among the 55 patients, 31 were males and 24 were females. The age of onset was 12 years old (range 10-18 years old). They visited clinics at Tanner stages 2 to 5 with typical secondary sexual characteristics. Nine cases (16%) were trigged by infection and 5 cases (9%) were triggered by insidious exercises. The period from onset to diagnosis was between 2 months and 6 years. Forty-five cases (82%) had neuropsychiatric symptoms as the main symptoms, followed by cardiovascular symptoms in 12 cases (22%), kidney damage in 7 cases (13%), and eye disease in 12 cases (22%). Fifty-four cases (98%) had the biochemical characteristics of methylmalonic acidemia combined with homocysteinemia, and 1 case (2%) had the isolated methylmalonic acidemia. Genetic diagnosis was obtained in 54 cases, with 20 variants identified in MMACHC gene and 2 in MMUT gene. In 53 children with MMACHC gene mutation,1 case had dual gene variants of PRDX1 and MMACHC, with 105 alleles. The top 5 frequent variants in MMACHC were c.482G>A in 39 alleles (37%), c.609G>A in 17 alleles (16%), c.658_660delAAG in 11 alleles (10%), c.80A>G in 10 alleles (10%), c.567dupT and c.394C>T both are 4 alleles (4%). All patients recovered using cobalamin, L-carnitine, betaine, and symptomatic therapy, and 54 patients (98%) returned to school or work.Conclusions:Patients with adolescence-onset MMA may triggered by fatigue or infection. The diagnosis is often delayed due to non-specific symptoms. Metabolic and genetic tests are crucial for a definite diagnosis. Treatment with cobalamin, L-carnitine, and betaine can effectively reverse the prognosis of MMA in adolescence-onset patients.

Objective:To evaluate the effect of berberine on acute kidney injury (AKI) in rats undergoing liver transplantation and the role of AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK).Methods:Twenty-four SPF-grade adult male Sprague-Dawley rats, aged 12 weeks, weighing 210-230 g, were divided into 4 groups ( n=6 each) using the random number table method: sham operation group (S group), AKI group, berberine group (BBR group), and berberine + AMPK inhibitor Compound C group (BBR-Comp C group). In BBR group, berberine 200 mg/kg was given by gavage starting from 2 weeks before surgery, once a day for 14 consecutive days. In BBR-Comp C group, Compound C 1 mg/kg was injected into the tail vein at 30 min before surgery. The rat AKI model was prepared by in situ liver transplantation in AKI group, BBR group and BBR-Comp C group. Blood specimens were taken from the inferior vena cava at 24 h postoperatively, and serum BUN and Cr concentrations were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Then the rats were sacrificed, and the kidney tissues were taken for microscopic examination of the pathological changes (with the light microscope after HE staining) and for determination of the expression of phosphorylated AMPK (p-AMPK), receptor-interacting protein kinase-1 (RIPK-1), receptor-interacting protein kinase-3 (RIPK-3) and mixed lineage kinase domain-like protein (MLKL) (by Western blot). Results:Compared with S group, the serum BUN and Cr concentrations were significantly increased, the p-AMPK expression was down-regulated, the expression of RIPK-1, RIPK-3 and MLKL was up-regulated ( P<0.05), and the pathological damage to renal tissues occurred in AKI group. Compared with AKI group, the serum BUN and Cr concentrations were significantly decreased, the p-AMPK expression was up-regulated, the expression of RIPK-1, RIPK-3 and MLKL was down-regulated ( P<0.05), and the pathological changes of renal tissues were significantly attenuated in BBR group. Compared with BBR group, the serum BUN and Cr concentrations were significantly increased, the p-AMPK expression was down-regulated, and the expression of RIPK-1, RIPK-3 and MLKL was up-regulated in BBR-Comp C group ( P<0.05). Conclusions:Berberine can attenuate AKI in rats undergoing liver transplantation, and the mechanism may be related to the promotion of AMPK phosphorylation and inhibition of programmed necrosis.

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.

Objective: To evaluate health risks of five heavy metals in drinking water of rural schools in Henan Province, so as to provide scientific basis for drinking water safety in rural schools. Methods: Totally 1 269 drinking water samples were collected and analyzed for five heavy metals (As, Cd, Cr 6+ , Pb, Hg) concentration in 106 cities and counties of Henan Province, and its spatial distribution characteristics were explored by geographic information system (GIS). Risk assessment method recommended by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA) was applied to evaluate health risks from five heavy metals through oral ingestion. Results: The qualified rate of As concentration was 100%, and the qualified rates of Cd, Cr 6+ , Pb and Hg were 99.9% , 99.9%, 99.5%, 99.6%. The highest carcinogenic risk was As (3.05×10 -5 ), followed by Cr 6+ (2.73×10 -5 ), and the highest non carcinogenic risk was As (0.158 3), followed by Pb(0.041 7). The carcinogenic risk and non carcinogenic risk were all higher in girls than boys. The carcinogenic and non carcinogenic risks were differences in different regions( P <0.05). Conclusion Health risks of five heavy metals in drinking water for rural schools in Henan Province were within the acceptable risk level recommended by EPA. As, Cr 6+ and Pb were the main health risk factors in drinking water, and that might impact negatively the healthy growth of primary and middle school students. These should be future efforts of drinking water safety management.

Objective:To investigate the impacts of stroke volume variation (SVV)-guided goal-directed fluid therapy on intraoperative signs, intestinal barrier function and prognosis in patients undergoing laparoscopic radical rectal cancer surgery.Methods:A total of 90 patients who underwent laparoscopic radical resection for rectal cancer in Peking University International Hospital from May 2020 to May 2022 were prospectively selected as subjects, and divided into SVV group (45 cases) and traditional infusion group (45 cases) by random number table method. The SVV group was given SVV-guided goal-directed fluid therapy, and the traditional infusion group was given central venous pressure (CVP)-guided goal-directed fluid therapy. The operation-related indicators (urine volume, crystalloid volume, colloid volume, total fluid volume, blood loss and operation time), intraoperative signs indicators[heart rate (HR), CVP, mean arterial pressure (MAP)], intestinal barrier function indicators [diamine oxidase (DAO), D-lactic acid], inflammatory factor levels [interleukin-10 (IL-10), interleukin-6 (IL-6), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α)], and the incidence of complications were compared between the two groups.Results:There was no significant difference in the urine volume, blood loss and operation time between the two groups (all P>0.05), while the crystalloid volume, colloid volume and total fluid volume in the SVV group were greatly lower than those in the traditional infusion group (all P<0.05). There was no significant difference in HR between the two groups at different time points ( P>0.05). Compared with T 0, CVP at T 1 in the two groups was significantly decreased (all P<0.05), and increased at T 2 and T 3 compared with T 1 (all P<0.05). There was no significant difference in MAP at different time points in the SVV group (all P>0.05). The MAP at T 1, T 2 and T 3 in the traditional infusion group was significantly lower than that at T 0 (all P<0.05), and the MAP at T 1, T 2 and T 3 in the SVV group was significantly higher than that in the traditional infusion group (all P<0.05). Compared with T 0, DAO and D-lactic acid levels were significantly increased at T 1, T 3, T 4 and T 5 in the two groups (all P<0.05), and DAO and D-lactic acid levels at T 1, T 3, T 4 and T 5 in the SVV group were significantly lower than those in the traditional infusion group (all P<0.05). Compared with T 0, serum IL-10 level in the two groups was significantly decreased at T 4 ( P<0.05), and serum IL-6 and TNF-α levels were significantly increased at T 4 (all P<0.05). The serum levels of IL-10, IL-6 and TNF-α in the SVV group at T 4 were significantly different from those in the traditional infusion group (all P<0.05). Compared with T 4, the serum levels of IL-10 at T 5 were significantly increased (all P<0.05), while the levels of IL-6 and TNF-α were significantly decreased (all P<0.05), but there was no statistical significance between the two groups (all P>0.05). The incidence of postoperative infection, anastomotic fistula, vomiting and nausea in SVV group (13.33%) was significantly lower than that in traditional infusion group (35.33%) ( P<0.05). Conclusions:SVV-guided goal-directed fluid therapy for patients undergoing laparoscopic radical rectal cancer can effectively stabilize intraoperative vital signs, reduce inflammation, improve intestinal barrier function, and improve prognosis.

Palliative care is the final link in the whole lifecycle health management and is an important part of promoting a healthy China. In order to further improve service efficiency and the quality of end-of-life care, Shanghai Jiading Yingyuan Hospital has constructed a new interdisciplinary team collaboration model for palliative care from the perspective of integrated medical theory, and applied this model to clinical practice. By elaborating on the theory of team integration, member composition and division of labor, implementation process and preliminary effects, this study aims to provide a theoretical basis and reference for other regions to carry out the integration path and collaborative model of interdisciplinary services in palliative care.

Objective:To study the expression of serum microRNA-122 (miR-122) in children with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) .Methods:35 NAFLD children aged 7-14 years from the department of Endocrinology and Inherited Metabolic disease, Children’s Hospital Affiliated to Zhengzhou University were collected, and 43 healthy children healthy children matched with the gender and age as the control group. The height, weight, body mass index (BMI) , waist-hip ratio (WHR) , triglyceride (TG) , cholesterol (TC) , alanine transaminase (ALT) , aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and miR-122 levels of the children in the two groups were detected and recorded.Results:There was no significant difference in age between NAFLD group (9.97±1.93 years) and control group (10.28±1.68 years) ( P=0.455) . Body weight (65.91±15.94kg) , BMI (29.93±3.77kg/m2) , WHR (0.97±0.04) , TG (1.49±0.46mmol/L) , TC (3.96±0.67mmol/L) , ALT (32.7±15.65U/L) and the level of miR-122 (2.33±1.75) in the NAFLD group was higher than that in the control group (36.93±7.54kg, 17.75±1.60kg/m 2, 0.83±0.04, 0.94±0.18mmol/L, 3.55±0.53mmol/L, 19.77±4.3U/L) , the differences were statistically significant ( P<0.05) . The levels of miR-122 in the NAFLD group were positively correlated with ALT and AST (r=0.618, 0.487, P < 0.05) . The ROC curve was used to evaluate the efficacy of miR-122 in diagnosing NAFLD, and the area under the curve of miR-122, ALT and ALT+ miR-122 in diagnosing NAFLD was 0.824, 0.727 and 0.839, respectively. MiR-122 combined with ALT had an advantage in diagnosing NAFLD. Conclusion:The levels of miR-122 in children with NAFLD were positively correlated with ALT. MiR-122 combined with ALT has clinical value in diagnosing NAFLD.

Objective:To investigate the factors affecting phenotypes in the patients of methylmalonic acidemia combined with homocysteinemia cblC type with MMACHC c. 609G>A homologous variant. Methods:A retrospective study on the clinical manifestations, complications, treatment, and outcome in 164patients of cblC type with MMACHC c. 609G>A homologous variant was conducted.The patients were diagnosed by biochemical and genetic analysisfrom January 1998 to December 2020. Results:Among the 164 patients, 2 cases were prenatally diagnosed and began treatment after birth. They are 3 and 12 years old with normal physical and mental development. Twenty-one cases were diagnosed by newborn screening. Among them, 15 cases had with normal development. They were treated fromthe age of two weeks at the asymptomatic period. Six cases began treatment aged 1 to 3 months after onset. Their development was delayed. One hundred and forty-one cases were clinically diagnosed. Their onset age ranges from a few minutes after birth to 6 years old. 110 cases had early-onset (78.0%). 31 cases had late-onset (22.0%). Five of them died. 24 patients lost to follow-up. Of the 141 clinically diagnosed patients, 130 (92.2%) with psychomotor retardation, 69 (48.9%) with epilepsy, 39 (27.7%) with anemia, 30 (21.3%) had visual impairment, 27 (19.1%) had hydrocephalus, 26 (18.4%) had feeding difficulties, 7 (5.0%) with liver damage, and 5 (3.5%) with metabolic syndrome. The frequency of hydrocephalus and seizures was significantly higher in the early-onset group. The urinary methylmalonic acid increased significantly in the patients with epilepsy. During the long-term follow-up, the level of plasma total homocysteine in the seizure-uncontrolled group was significantly higher than that in the seizure-controlled group, the difference had a statistical significance ( P<0.05). Conclusion:Most of the patients with MMACHC c. 609G>A homozygous variant had early-onset disease, with a high mortality and disability rate. If not treated in time, it will lead to neurological damage, resulting in epilepsy, mental retardation, hydrocephalus, and multiple organ damage. Pre-symptomatic diagnosis and treatment are crucial to prevent irreversible neurological damage. Neonatal screening and prenatal diagnosis are important to improve the outcome of the patients.