Objective: To understand the serum vitamin D and vitamin K 1 levels of children in the Qingdao area, so as to provide scientific grounds for appropriate vitamin supplementation. Methods: A total of 4 469 children aged 0-14 years old, who attended the children s healthcare outpatient clinics of a tertiary hospital in Qingdao, were enrolled in the current study between January 2023 and July 2024. The levels of vitamin D and vitamin K 1 were measured by liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry. The inter group differences were analyzed using Chi square test, Wilcoxon rank sum test, and Kruskal-Wallis H test. The correlation analysis of vitamin D and vitamin K 1 levels with age was performed using the Spearman correlation. Results: The serum vitamin D level among children was 28.72(22.67, 36.26)ng/mL. The vitamin D deficiency and insufficiency rates were 2.10% and 14.59 %, respectively. The serum 25-(OH)D 2 level was 0.29(0.14, 0.53)ng/mL, the serum 25-(OH)D 3 level was 27.99( 21.78 , 35.57)ng/mL and the serum vitamin K 1 level was 0.54(0.29, 1.04)ng/mL. The vitamin K 1 deficiency rate was 13.76%. Among different age stages, the serum vitamin D level was highest in infancy [37.45(30.39, 43.87)ng/mL] and lowest in school age children [22.39(18.00, 26.97)ng/mL]; the level of vitamin K 1 was highest in preschool children [0.79(0.41, 1.51) ng/mL] and lowest in school age children[0.45 (0.26, 0.76) ng/mL]; the serum vitamin D deficiency and insufficiency rates were highest in school age children (5.03% and 30.81%); the vitamin K 1 deficiency rate was highest in infancy (21.53%) ( H/χ 2=1 698.31, 253.70 , 137.85 , 583.79, 89.30, all P <0.05). Among different seasons, the serum vitamin D and vitamin K 1 levels were lowest in the winter [26.74(18.37, 35.86) and 0.50 (0.27, 0.94)ng/mL; H =50.71, 7.86]; the vitamin D deficiency and insufficiency rates were highest in the winter (5.41% and 24.80%; χ 2=59.93, 83.35) (all P <0.05). The serum vitamin D level had a moderate negative correlation with age ( r =-0.62), and there was a low positive correlation between the serum vitamin D and vitamin K 1 levels in infancy and early childhood ( r =0.21, 0.26) (all P <0.05). Conclusions The serum vitamin D and vitamin K 1 levels are lowest in school age children and in the winter, and the serum vitamin K 1 deficiency rate is highest in infancy. There is a need to focus on critical periods of infancy and school age, and strengthen interventions during the high risk winter season. The nutritional status of vitamin D and vitamin K 1 in children should be enhanced.

Objective: To investigate the impact of intergenerational parent-child separation (PCS) on allergic diseases among rural preschool children, providing theoretical guidance for developing targeted public health interventions. Methods: From March to June 2024, 10 kindergartens were selected from Nanling, Wuhu City, Anhui Province. A total of 2 279 children aged 3-6 years and their parents/primary caregivers participated in the survey by a combination of convenience sampling and cluster sampling method. Children s fathers and mothers reported the experiences of PCS during their childhood. The children s PCS experiences and allergies were reported by their primary caregivers. The International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood (ISAAC) questionnaire was used to supplement the allergies (allergic asthma, allergic rhinitis and atopic dermatitis). Analysis of variance (ANOVA) and Chi square tests were used to compare differences between children in different PCS groups. Logistic regression models assessed the association between PCS and the risk of allergic diseases in preschool children. Results: Among the preschoolers enrolled, the prevalence of allergic diseases in only parent-child separation group in childhood, only child separation group, and the intergenerational continuity of PCS groups were significantly higher than those of the none separation group (38.0%, 41.8%, 48.1%,30.4%; χ 2=40.45, P < 0.01 ). After adjusting for covariates including child age, sex and body mass index, Logistic regression model revealed that compared to children in the group without PCS, those in the only parent-child separation in childhood( OR =1.43, 95% CI =1.06-1.94), only child separation ( OR =1.82, 95% CI =1.22-2.71), and intergenerational continuity of PCS ( OR =2.33, 95% CI =1.68-3.24) exhibited higher allergic disease risk (all P <0.05). Conclusions Intergenerational continuity of PCS is related to the increased risk of allergies in preschool children. The multigenerational accumulation of adverse effects from PCS underscores the importance of breaking the cycle of disadvantage across generations.

Structural optimization of lead compounds is a crucial step in drug discovery. One optimization strategy is to modify the molecular structure of a scaffold to improve both its biological activities and absorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion, and toxicity (ADMET) properties. One of the deep molecular generative model approaches preserves the scaffold while generating drug-like molecules, thereby accelerating the molecular optimization process. Deep molecular diffusion generative models simulate a gradual process that creates novel, chemically feasible molecules from noise. However, the existing models lack direct interatomic constraint features and struggle with capturing long-range dependencies in macromolecules, leading to challenges in modifying the scaffold-based molecular structures, and creates limitations in the stability and diversity of the generated molecules. To address these challenges, we propose a deep molecular diffusion generative model, the three-dimensional (3D) equivariant diffusion-driven molecular generation (3D-EDiffMG) model. The dual strong and weak atomic interaction force-based long-range dependency capturing equivariant encoder (dual-SWLEE) is introduced to encode both the bonding and non-bonding information based on strong and weak atomic interactions. Additionally, a gate multilayer perceptron (gMLP) block with tiny attention is incorporated to explicitly model complex long-sequence feature interactions and long-range dependencies. The experimental results show that 3D-EDiffMG effectively generates unique, novel, stable, and diverse drug-like molecules, highlighting its potential for lead optimization and accelerating drug discovery.

Oroxylin A (OA), a natural compound extracted from Scutellaria baicalensis, demonstrates preventive potential against ultraviolet B (UVB)-induced non-melanoma skin cancer (NMSC), the most prevalent cancer worldwide with increasing incidence. Utilizing SKH-1 hairless mice exposed to UVB, this study showed that OA delayed NMSC onset and alleviated acute skin damage. Mechanistic investigations revealed its dual action: inhibiting inflammation and enhancing nucleotide excision repair (NER) by stabilizing XPA, a crucial deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) repair protein. This stabilization occurred through OA's interaction with glucose-regulated protein 94 (GRP94), which disrupted murine double minute 2 (MDM2)-mediated XPA ubiquitination and proteasomal degradation. By maintaining XPA levels, OA expedited photoproduct clearance and diminished genomic instability, ultimately impeding NMSC development. These findings suggest OA as a promising chemopreventive agent targeting the GRP94/MDM2-XPA axis to counteract UVB-induced carcinogenesis.
Animals ; Ultraviolet Rays/adverse effects* ; Skin Neoplasms/prevention & control* ; Flavonoids/pharmacology* ; Mice ; Xeroderma Pigmentosum Group A Protein/genetics* ; Humans ; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-mdm2/genetics* ; DNA Repair/drug effects* ; Scutellaria baicalensis/chemistry* ; Mice, Hairless ; Skin/radiation effects*

Objective To evaluate the clinical application of CT-guided coaxial needle biopsy in pancreatic puncture-cutting biopsy via adipose tissue space.Methods The clinical data of 30 patients,who received CT-guided pancreatic coaxial needle biopsy via adipose tissue space at the Pingdu Hospital Area of Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University of China from June 2021 to April 2024,were retrospectively analyzed.The patients included 20 males and 10 females with a mean age of(65.1±8.7)years.The lesions were located in the pancreatic head(n=7),pancreatic neck(n=4),pancreatic body(n=7),pancreatic tail(n=10)and uncinate process(n=2).Under CT guidance,a 17 G co-axial guiding needle was inserted to establish a puncture pass through adipose tissue space,then an 18 G biopsy needle was used to make tissue sampling.A total of 32 procedures of pancreatic puncture-cutting biopsy were performed,two of these patients received two times of biopsy.After sampling,a self-made blocking agent(a mixed liquid of gelatin sponge particles and snake venom hemagglutinin),was used to occlude the puncture channel so as to prevent complications such as bleeding,pancreatic leakage,needle tract implantation metastasis,etc.Results A total of 32 procedures of pancreatic puncture-cutting biopsy with coaxial guiding needle via adipose tissue space were performed,including two patients who received two times of biopsy.The success rate of puncturing was 100％(32/32),the success rate of sampling was 93.8％(30/32),and the accuracy of sampling was 93.8％(30/32).No serious puncture-related complications occurred in all patients.Conclusion CT-guided pancreatic coaxial needle biopsy via adipose tissue space is clinically safe,accurate in sampling and minimally-invasive.This interventional diagnostic technique is worth applying in clinical practice.

Objective To analyze the risk factors for gestational diabetes mellitus(GDM)in late pregnancy and explore the correlation between inflammatory stress status and pregnancy outcomes in GDM pregnant women.Methods A total of 87 pregnant women with GDM in late pregnancy were se-lected as GDM group,and another 87 pregnant women without GDM during the same period were se-lected as non-GDM group.Univariate analysis was conducted to compare the clinical data between the GDM group and the non-GDM group,and binary Logistic regression analysis was used to explore the risk factors for GDM.Spearman correlation analysis was employed to investigate the correlation between inflammatory stress status and pregnancy outcomes in GDM pregnant women.Results Univariate a-nalysis showed that compared with the non-GDM group,the GDM group had a higher proportion of women who were older,had a weight gain of ≥15 kg during pregnancy,a history of adverse pregnancy outcomes,a family history of diabetes,gestational hypertension,anemia during pregnancy,vaginal candidiasis infection,a preference for sweet foods,and a lower proportion of women engaging in daily exercise for≥1 h(P＜0.05).Binary Logistic regression analysis revealed that older age,weight gain of≥15 kg during pregnancy,history of adverse pregnancy outcomes,family history of diabetes,gesta-tional hypertension,anemia during pregnancy and preference for sweet foods were independent risk factors for GDM in late pregnancy(P＜0.05),while daily exercise for ≥1 h was an independent protective factor(P＜0.05).Compared with pregnant women with adverse pregnancy outcomes,women with favorable pregnancy outcomes had higher levels of C-reactive protein(CRP),lymphocytes(LYM),neutrophils(NEUT),procalcitonin(PCT)and white blood cells(WBC)(P＜0.05).Spearman correlation analysis showed that the levels of inflammatory stress indicators such as CRP,LYM,NEUT,PCT and WBC were positively correlated with the risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes in GDM pregnant women(P＜0.05).Conclusion The incidence of GDM in late pregnancy is asso-ciated with maternal age,weight gain during pregnancy,history of adverse pregnancy outcomes,family history of diabetes,gestational hypertension,anemia during pregnancy,preference for sweet foods and daily exercise time.Moreover,the inflammatory stress status of GDM patients in late preg-nancy is closely related to adverse pregnancy outcomes.

Structural optimization of lead compounds is a crucial step in drug discovery.One optimization strategy is to modify the molecular structure of a scaffold to improve both its biological activities and absorption,distribution,metabolism,excretion,and toxicity(ADMET)properties.One of the deep molecular generative model approaches preserves the scaffold while generating drug-like molecules,thereby accelerating the molecular optimization process.Deep molecular diffusion generative models simulate a gradual process that creates novel,chemically feasible molecules from noise.However,the existing models lack direct interatomic constraint features and struggle with capturing long-range dependencies in macromolecules,leading to challenges in modifying the scaffold-based molecular structures,and creates limitations in the stability and diversity of the generated molecules.To address these challenges,we propose a deep molecular diffusion generative model,the three-dimensional(3D)equivariant diffusion-driven molecular generation(3D-EDiffMG)model.The dual strong and weak atomic interaction force-based long-range dependency capturing equivariant encoder(dual-SWLEE)is introduced to encode both the bonding and non-bonding information based on strong and weak atomic interactions.Addi-tionally,a gate multilayer perceptron(gMLP)block with tiny attention is incorporated to explicitly model complex long-sequence feature interactions and long-range dependencies.The experimental results show that 3D-EDiffMG effectively generates unique,novel,stable,and diverse drug-like molecules,highlighting its potential for lead optimization and accelerating drug discovery.

Objective:To investigate the clinical phenotype and genetic characteristics of developmental epileptic encephalopathy 18 (DEE18) caused by SZT2 gene variants. Methods:Clinical data of 2 children with SZT2 related DEE18 who visited the Department of Pediatric Neurology, Linyi People′s Hospital in March 2020 and July 2023 were collected. The whole exome sequencing (WES) and Sanger sequencing were applied to verify the child and their parents. SWISS-MODEL software was used to perform protein 3D modeling for the selected SZT2 gene variants. Results:Both of the 2 cases showed severe global developmental delay, epileptic seizures, autism, megacephaly, facial deformity, hypotonia, corpus callosum malformation, persistent cavum septum pellucidum, and slow background activity and focal discharge in video electroencephalography. Case 1 was easy to startle and thin in stature; case 2 had immune deficiency and clustered seizures. WES results showed that case 1 carried a compound heterozygous variant of c.5811G>A (p.W1937X) (paternal) and c.9269delG (p.S3090Ifs *94) (maternal), while case 2 carried a compound heterozygous variant of c.6302A>C(p.H2101P) (paternal) and c.7584dupA (p.E2529Rfs *20) (maternal), the parents of both patients with normal clinical phenotypes. The 4 mutations mentioned above were novel variations that had not yet been reported domestically or internationally. According to the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics variant classification criteria and guidelines, the p.S3090Ifs *94 variant was interpreted as pathogenic; p.W1937X variant was interpreted as pathogenic; p.E2529Rfs *20 variant was interpreted as likely pathogenic; p.H2101P variant was interpreted as uncertain significance. 3D modeling showed that the variant of p.H2101P resulted in a significant change in the hydrogen bond around the 2 101st amino acid encoded, leading to a decrease in protein stability. The other 3 variants led to early truncation of peptide chain and obvious changes in protein structure. Conclusions:DEE18 caused by SZT2 gene mutation is mainly an autosome recessive genetic disease, and its clinical manifestations include global developmental delay, epileptic seizures, autism, craniofacial malformation, hypotonia, epileptic discharge, corpus callosum malformation, persistent cavum septum pellucidum, shock, small and thin stature, and immune deficiency. Four novel variants related to the SZT2 gene may be the genetic etiology of DEE18 patients in this study.

Objective:To investigate the clinical phenotype and genetic characteristics of infantile epileptic spasm syndrome caused by BRWD3 gene mutation. Methods:Clinical data of a child with BRWD3 related infantile epileptic spasm syndrome who was admitted to Department of Pediatric Neurology of Linyi People′s Hospital on August 2, 2019 were collected and followed up, whole exome sequencing technology and Sanger sequencing were applied to verify the child and his parents, and the pathogenicity of mutation site was analyzed. The studies till June 2023 were searched with keywords of " BRWD3" in both English and Chinese databases of China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Wanfang, Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man, and PubMed. The clinical phenotype and genetic characteristics of patients with BRWD3 related epilepsy were summarized. Results:The patient was a 4 years and 4 months old boy, with a clinical phenotype including severe global development delay, focal seizures (the onset age was 4 months), epileptic spasm (the onset age was 6 months), autism, megacephaly, high forehead as well as hypsarrhythmia. The whole exome sequencing results showed a de novo and frameshift variation c.4318_4319del(p.Q1441Efs*20)(NM_153252) in the BRWD3 gene, and the variation was interpreted as pathogenic (PVS1+PS2+PM2) according to the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics variant classification criteria and guidelines. A total of 7 English literature articles were retrieved reporting 16 cases of BRWD3 gene related epilepsy in children (including 1 case of infantile epileptic spasm syndrome), and there has been no report in China yet. Totally there were 17 cases of BRWD3 gene related epilepsy including this case. All the cases showed X chromosome dominant inheritance, of whom 15 cases showed minor variations, including 7 missense variations, 3 frameshift variations, 3 splicing variations, 2 nonsense variations, and the remaining 2 cases showed large segment deletions. A total of 15 different variants were found. The phenotypes of the 17 patients mainly included epileptic seizures (17/17), intellectual disability (10/17), motor development disorder (7/17), speech impairment (9/17), megacephaly (8/17), facial malformation (8/17), autism (4/17) and hypotonia (4/17). The common seizure types were found to be focal seizures, occasionally epileptic spasm seizures and tonic seizures. Conclusions:BRWD3 gene variation related epilepsy is an X chromosome dominant genetic disease with a wide clinical phenotype spectrum. BRWD3 gene mutation c.4318_4319del(p.Q1441Efs *20) could cause infantile epileptic spasm syndrome, manifested as severe global developmental delay, epileptic spasm, focal seizures, autism, craniofacial malformation and hypsarrhythmia. This research enriches BRWD3 gene mutation spectrum.

Objective:To analyze the clinical phenotypes and TSC1/TSC2 gene variations in 52 children with tuberous sclerosis complex. Methods:The clinical data of 59 children with tuberous sclerosis complex hospitalized in Linyi People′s Hospital between January 2017 and October 2022 were collected. The analysis of TSC1 and TSC2 gene variations on main family members was performed, and then bioinformatics analysis followed. The positive children were divided into TSC1 gene group and TSC2 gene group, and the difference of clinical characteristics between the two groups was analyzed. Results:Among 59 children, 52 cases were detected TSC1/ TSC2 gene variations (17 cases in the TSC1 gene group and 35 cases in the TSC2 gene group). Of the 52 children, 28 (53.8%) were male, 24 were female (46.2%); 17 (32.7%) were familial cases (10 with TSC1 gene variations and 7 with TSC2 gene variations), 35 (67.3%) were sporadic cases; 46 (88.5%) had hypomelanotic macules, 13 (25.0%) had facial angiofibromas, 5 (9.6%) had shagreen patches, 49 (94.2%) had subependymal nodules/calcifications, 47 (90.4%) had cortical nodules, 2 (3.8%) had subependymal giant cell astrocytomas, 39 (75.0%) had intellectual/developmental disabilities, 49 (94.2%) had epileptic seizures, 8 (15.4%) had cardiac rhabdomyomas, 9 (17.3%) had renal angiomyolipomas, and 4 (7.7%) had retinal hamartomas. Of the 52 children, 49 variations were detected, including 4 large fragment deletion/duplication variations, and 45 point variations; 41 pathogenic variations, 7 likely pathogenic variations, and 1 variation of uncertain significance. In this study, 16 point mutations and 1 large fragment duplication mutation which had not been reported at home and abroad, and 3 high-frequency mutation sites (p.Arg692 *, p.Arg228 *, and p.Arg1200Try) were found. There was a statistically significant difference in the proportion of familial cases [10/17 vs 7/35(20%), χ2=7.838, P=0.005], median onset age of epilepsy [38.0(0.5-134.0) months vs 8.0(0.1-63.0) months, Z=3.506 , P<0.001] and the incidence of developmental retardation/intellectual impairment [8/17 vs 31/35(88.6%), χadj2=8.423, P=0.004] between the TSC1 gene and TSC2 gene groups. Conclusions:Tuberous sclerosis compiex has widespread phenotypes, can affect every body system, especially the skin and nervous system. The pathogenic gene is TSC1/ TSC2. The TSC1 gene group has more familial cases. The TSC2 gene group has an earlier onset age of epilepsy and a higher incidence of developmental retardation/intellectual impairment. In this study, 16 novel point mutations, 1 novel large fragment duplication mutation, and 3 hotspot mutations were identified, expanding the gene variation spectrum of tuberous sclerosis complex.