Objective:To explore the clinical characteristics, diagnosis and treatment strategies, and prognosis of pulmonary embolism (PE) complicating childhood rheumatic diseases.Methods:A retrospective case series study was performed on the demographic data, laboratory indicators, imaging features, treatment regimens, and follow-up data of 8 children with rheumatic diseases complicated by PE who were admitted to the Department of Rheumatology and Immunology, Capital Center for Children′s Health, Capital Medical University from January 2014 to October 2023.Results:Among the 8 children, there were 4 boys and 4 girls, with an age of 12.0 (7.5, 13.0) years. Among the primary diseases, there were 3 cases of systemic lupus erythematosus, 2 cases of Beh?et′s disease, 2 cases of Takayasu arteritis, and 1 case of antiphospholipid syndrome. All children developed PE during the active phase of the primary disease. PE was detected at the onset of the primary disease in 3 cases, and the median time from the diagnosis of the primary disease to the development of PE was 10.0 (6.0, 25.0) months in the remaining 5 cases. Fever was present in all 8 children, 4 cases were accompanied by chest tightness, dyspnea, etc., and 2 cases only presented with fever. Laboratory examinations revealed the following results: erythrocyte sedimentation rate was 42.0 (17.0, 78.0) mm/1 h, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein was 12.7 (2.6, 78.7) mg/L, white blood cell count was 9.6 (7.2, 18.7)×10 9/L; D-dimer was 2.3 (0.9, 6.2) mg/L; and hemoglobin was (109±16) g/L.Imaging examinations revealed that 5 cases had involvement of the bilateral lower pulmonary arteries, 5 cases had peripheral embolism, and 3 cases had central PE. Complications included 3 cases of deep vein thrombosis, 2 cases of intracranial venous sinus thrombosis, and 1 case of mild pulmonary hypertension.In terms of treatment, 7 cases received anticoagulation with heparin followed by warfarin. Immunomodulation was mainly based on glucocorticoids combined with immunosuppressants, and 4 cases were combined with biological agents. The follow-up time of 4.17 (1.75, 7.17) years, the time for complete absorption of PE was 10.5 (6.0, 18.0) months; all 8 children had no target events, with no recurrence or chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension, and the pulmonary artery remodeling was good. Conclusions:PE complicating childhood rheumatic diseases is closely related to the activity of the primary disease. The clinical manifestations are insidious, with fever as the main symptom. Imaging examination is the key to diagnosis.Early adoption of heparin followed by warfarin anticoagulation and glucocorticoids combined with immunosuppressants and (or) biological agents to control the primary disease can achieve a favorable prognosis.

Objective:To explore the clinical characteristics, diagnosis and treatment strategies, and prognosis of pulmonary embolism (PE) complicating childhood rheumatic diseases.Methods:A retrospective case series study was performed on the demographic data, laboratory indicators, imaging features, treatment regimens, and follow-up data of 8 children with rheumatic diseases complicated by PE who were admitted to the Department of Rheumatology and Immunology, Capital Center for Children′s Health, Capital Medical University from January 2014 to October 2023.Results:Among the 8 children, there were 4 boys and 4 girls, with an age of 12.0 (7.5, 13.0) years. Among the primary diseases, there were 3 cases of systemic lupus erythematosus, 2 cases of Beh?et′s disease, 2 cases of Takayasu arteritis, and 1 case of antiphospholipid syndrome. All children developed PE during the active phase of the primary disease. PE was detected at the onset of the primary disease in 3 cases, and the median time from the diagnosis of the primary disease to the development of PE was 10.0 (6.0, 25.0) months in the remaining 5 cases. Fever was present in all 8 children, 4 cases were accompanied by chest tightness, dyspnea, etc., and 2 cases only presented with fever. Laboratory examinations revealed the following results: erythrocyte sedimentation rate was 42.0 (17.0, 78.0) mm/1 h, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein was 12.7 (2.6, 78.7) mg/L, white blood cell count was 9.6 (7.2, 18.7)×10 9/L; D-dimer was 2.3 (0.9, 6.2) mg/L; and hemoglobin was (109±16) g/L.Imaging examinations revealed that 5 cases had involvement of the bilateral lower pulmonary arteries, 5 cases had peripheral embolism, and 3 cases had central PE. Complications included 3 cases of deep vein thrombosis, 2 cases of intracranial venous sinus thrombosis, and 1 case of mild pulmonary hypertension.In terms of treatment, 7 cases received anticoagulation with heparin followed by warfarin. Immunomodulation was mainly based on glucocorticoids combined with immunosuppressants, and 4 cases were combined with biological agents. The follow-up time of 4.17 (1.75, 7.17) years, the time for complete absorption of PE was 10.5 (6.0, 18.0) months; all 8 children had no target events, with no recurrence or chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension, and the pulmonary artery remodeling was good. Conclusions:PE complicating childhood rheumatic diseases is closely related to the activity of the primary disease. The clinical manifestations are insidious, with fever as the main symptom. Imaging examination is the key to diagnosis.Early adoption of heparin followed by warfarin anticoagulation and glucocorticoids combined with immunosuppressants and (or) biological agents to control the primary disease can achieve a favorable prognosis.

ObjectiveTo evaluate the clinical efficacy of Huangqin Qingre Chubi capsules （HQC） in patients with rheumatoid arthritis （RA） and the syndrome of dampness-heat obstruction and investigate the mechanism by which HQC restore clinical and laboratory parameters in RA patients through regulation of the long non-coding RNA （LncRNA） endogenous Bornavirus-like nucleoprotein 3 pseudogene （EBLN3P）/miR-369-3p/nuclear factor I X（NFIX）-Janus kinase（JAK）/signal transducer and activator of transcription （STAT） signaling pathway，thereby providing new experimental evidence and potential therapeutic targets for the traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） treatment of RA. MethodsA randomized controlled trial design was adopted，with 100 RA patients meeting the criteria assigned into an observation group （n=50） and a control group （n=50）. In addition，50 healthy controls were enrolled. The control group received leflunomide plus meloxicam，while the observation group additionally received HQC. Efficacy was assessed after 4 weeks of treatment. Observation indicators including Western medicine indicators （DAS28，CPRI-RA，SF-36，VAS，PGA，PhGA，and SAS/SDS），TCM syndrome scores （TCMSS-RADHP，TCMSS-RASDP），and laboratory indicators （ESR，CRP，RF，anti-CCP antibody，VEGF，bFGF，MMP-2/9，p-JAK2/STAT3，and LncRNA EBLN3P/miR-369-3p/NFIX expression） were measured to comprehensively explore the therapeutic mechanism of HQC. ResultsThe study included 45 healthy controls （34 males and 11 females） and 87 RA patients （22 males and 65 females）. The median age，median disease duration，and median BMI of patients were 56 years old，10 years，and 21.51 kg·m^-2，respectively. Compared with healthy controls，the RA group exhibited a typical state of immune-inflammatory activation as manifested by elevated levels of ESR，anti-CCP antibodies，CRP，and RF （P<0.01），raised clinical symptom scores （DAS28，VAS，PGA，PhGA，CPRI-RA，and TCM symptoms） （P<0.05，P<0.01），and reduced SF-36 domain scores （P<0.01）. Molecular detection revealed abnormal expression of LncRNA EBLN3P and miR-369-3p，upregulated expression of key proteins in the JAK/STAT pathway （JAK2/p-JAK2 and STAT3/p-STAT3） and angiogenesis markers （VEGF，bFGF，and MMP-2/9），and downregulated expression of NFIX （P<0.05，P<0.01） in the RA group. Spearman correlation analysis further demonstrated associations of key molecules in the LncRNA EBLN3P/miR-369-3p/NFIX-JAK/STAT pathway with immune-inflammatory markers and clinical symptom scores （P<0.05，P<0.01）. Regarding treatment response，both groups showed reductions in ESR，anti-CCP，CRP，and RF levels compared with baseline （P<0.01） and restored scores of DAS28，CPRI-RA，VAS，PGA，PhGA，TCM symptoms，SAS，SDS，and all SF-36 domains （P<0.01）. The observation group outperformed the control group in restoring the scores of SAS，SDS，PGA，TCMSS-SDP，and SF-36 domains （PF，BP，GH，VT，and SF） （P<0.05）. Real-time PCR analysis revealed that post-treatment expression levels of LncRNA EBLN3P，miR-369-3p，NFIX，JAK2，p-JAK2，STAT3，p-STAT3，VEGF，bFGF，MMP-2，and MMP-9 were recovered compared with pre-treatment levels （P<0.01）. Notably，the observation group demonstrated superior regulatory effects on p-JAK2，STAT3，p-STAT3，and MMP-9 compared with the control group （P<0.05）. Apriori association rule analysis revealed that HQC treatment was significantly correlated with reduced TCMSS-RADHP，ESR，SF，DAS28，SAS，and SDS scores，as well as increased VT，GH，and RP scores （confidence >80%，support >50%）. Regarding safety，two patients in the observation group experienced mild gastrointestinal discomfort，and one patient in the control group developed a rash. All the symptoms resolved after symptomatic treatment. ConclusionHQC target and regulate the LncRNA EBLN3P/miR-369-3p/NFIX-JAK/STAT axis to inhibit angiogenesis and inflammatory responses，reduce immune inflammatory markers，alleviate clinical symptoms，and improve the quality of life in RA patients，exerting synergistic effects on symptoms and quality of life.

ObjectiveTo investigate the potential therapeutic effects of Dengzhan Shengmai capsules （DZSM） on myocardial fibrosis after myocardial infarction and decipher the underlying molecular mechanisms by virtue of network robustness algorithm. MethodsA rat model of myocardial infarction was established by ligating the left anterior descending coronary artery. Successfully modeled Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly allocated into a model group， an enalapril group（3.15 mg·kg^-1）， and high- and low-dose DZSM groups（226.8，113.4 mg·kg^-1）. In addition， a sham group was set up. After four consecutive weeks of intervention， the cardiac function was assessed via echocardiography， and myocardial collagen deposition was observed through Sirius red staining. The key regulatory pathways of DZSM were analyzed by the network robustness algorithm. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay （ELISA） and immunofluorescence assay were employed to validate the mechanisms. ResultsCompared with the sham group， the model group exhibited decreased left ventricular ejection fraction （LVEF%） and fractional shortening （FS%） （P<0.01） and increased myocardial collagen volume fraction （CVF%） （P<0.01）. Compared with the model group， high-dose DZSM and enalapril improved LVEF% and FS% （P<0.01）. Both high- and low-dose DZSM reduced the CVF% （P<0.05， P<0.05，）. Network analysis indicated that DZSM exerted its effects by regulating neutrophil infiltration and related inflammatory pathways. Experimental validation showed that DZSM significantly reduced the protein levels of nuclear factor （NF）-κB， Janus kinase 2 （JAK2）， and signal transduction activator and transducer 3 （STAT3） in the cardiac tissue， as well as the levels of chemokine （C-X-C motif） ligand 1 （CXCL1）， interleukin （IL）-1β， neutrophil elastase-DNA complex （NE-DNA）， and myeloperoxidase-DNA complex （MPO-DNA） in the plasma. ConclusionDZSM may ameliorate myocardial fibrosis by inhibiting neutrophil infiltration and extracellular trap formation and regulating the NF-κB/JAK2/STAT3 signaling pathway.

Objective: To explore the relative importance of different food attributes and levels in food decision making of school aged children, and to understand their meal preferences, so as to provide the evidence for formulating precise intervention strategies for dietary behaviours of school aged children. Methods: From May to June 2024, a total of 854 children aged 11 to 15 years old were selected from 2 middle schools (each school in urban and rural areas) in both Hubei Province and Anhui Province by stratified cluster random sampling method to conduct a D-optimal discrete choice experiment. The mixed Logit model was used to analyze children s preference for meal attributes and different levels, and to calculate the relative importance (RI) of attributes and willingness to pay (WTP) in meal choices. Results: The included five food attributes had statistical significance on meal choice of school aged children ( P <0.05). The relative importance of food attributes affecting the meal choices of school aged children in descending order were dining mode ( RI =31.26%), food varieties ( RI =30.56%), cooking method( RI =23.84%), taste( RI =8.06%) and price ( RI =6.27%). Among them, school aged children preferred home cooked meals ( β =0.74) (WTP=86.3 yuan),varied foods(grain/tubers+vegetables+fish, meat, eggs and beans) ( β =0.61) (WTP=71.9 yuan), fried/roasted cooking ( β =0.51) and spicy taste ( β =0.33).Price was negatively correlated with meal choices( β =-0.01) ( P <0.05). Based on residential area and body mass index (BMI), the stratified analysis showed that dining mode was highest in the relative importance for rural children with overweight and obese children ( RI =31.28%,34.17%), both of whom preferred home cooked meals ( β =0.76, 0.91), and meals containing fish, meat, eggs and beans with grain/tubers or grain/tubers and vegetables in terms of food choice (area: β =0.53, 0.53 ; BMI: β =0.55, 0.56) ( P <0.05). Conclusions School aged children have different preferences for different attributes of meals. The quality of school meals should be improved,the cost of buying healthy meals should be reduced,targeted family health education should be carried out,and healthy cooking methods should be advocated.

Purpose The current study aims to elucidate the interrelationships among IREB2,FBXL5,iron ho-meostasis,and the therapeutic efficacy of neoadjuvant chemotherapy.Methods A total of 97 samples,classified into colorectal cancer neoadjuvant chemotherapy-resistant and-sensitive groups,along with their corresponding paracancer-ous normal mucosa were collected.The expression levels of FBXL5,IREB2,TFRC and FTH1 were detected by immu-nohistochemistry,Werstern blot and RT-qPCR.The contents of ferroptosis-related markers Fe2+,MDA,ROS and GSH were detected by applying the kit,and the levels of these markers were analyzed.The relationship between each factor in different colorectal cancer tissues and tumor regression rate and prognosis of neoadjuvant chemotherapy were ana-lyzed.Results(1)The expression of IREB2,FBXL5,TFRC and FTH1 in colorectal cancer was higher than that in normal intestinal mucosa(P＜0.05),and the expression of FBXL5 and FTH1 in colorectal cancer drug-resistant group was lower than that in the sensitive group,whereas the expression of IREB2 and TFRC was higher than that in the sen-sitive group(P＜0.05);(2)The correlation analysis showed a positive correlation between the expression of IREB2 and TFRC in the drug-resistant group,and a negative correlation with the expression of FBXL5 and FTH1 in the drug-resistant group.TFRC expression in the colorectal cancer resistance group were positively correlated(P＜0.05)and negatively correlated with the expression of FBXL5 and FTH1(P＜0.05);(3)the content of Fe2+and GSH was high-er than that of the sensitivity group in the colorectal cancer resistance group,and the level of ROS was lower than that of the sensitivity group(P＜0.05);(4)Fe2+was positively correlated with the expression of IREB2,TFRC,and neg-atively correlated with the expression of FBXL5 and FTH1,and was negatively correlated with the expression of FBXL5 and FTH1.FTH1 expression were both negatively correlated(P＜0.05);(5)tumor regression rate was positively cor-related with the expression of FBXL5 and FTH1,and negatively correlated with the expression of IREB2 and TFRC,as well as positively correlated with the level of ROS,and negatively correlated with Fe2+and GSH(P＜0.05);(6)The expression of IREB2 and TFRC was positively correlated with tumor diameter and lymph node metastasis,and the ex-pression of FBXL5 and FTH1 was negatively correlated with tumor diameter and lymph node metastasis,and the expres-sion of FBXL5 was also negatively correlated with the depth of tumor infiltration(P＜0.05);(7)Kaplan-Meier analy-sis showed that lymph node metastasis,FBXL5,IREB2,TFRC,FTH1,and TRG grading were closely related to the prognosis of colorectal cancer patients(P＜0.05).Cox multivariate regression analysis indicated that lymph node me-tastasis,high expression of IREB2 and TFRC,low expression of FBXL5 and FTH1,and low tumor regression grade(TRG)were risk factors for the ineffectiveness of neoadjuvant chemotherapy in colorectal cancer patients.Conclusion FBXL5 and IREB2 are not only associated with high iron homeostasis,but also closely related to the efficacy and prognosis of neoadjuvant chemotherapy for colorectal cancer.In the future,they may become new targets for the treat-ment of colorectal cancer and improve the prognosis of patients.

Objective To investigate the efficacy and safety of self-help inflatable balloon in the treatment of refractory benign upper digestive tract stricture.Methods From November 2022 to February 2024,10 patients with refractory benign upper digestive tract stricture underwent self-help inflatable balloon were retrospectively analyzed.Preoperative treatment,intraoperative and postoperative complications,dysphagia score before and after surgery,wearing time of external self-help inflatable balloon,and the clinical efficacy were evaluated.Results All the 10 patients received self-help inflatable balloon treatment.No complications such as bleeding and perforation occurred in all patients during the wearing of the balloon.The placement time of the balloon was 60～180 d,and the average wearing time was 104.9 d.Before surgery,nine cases had a stricture segment length less than 2 cm,and one case had a stricture segment length of 6 cm.The dysphagia score before surgery was(3.60±0.52),and the dysphagia score after removal of the self-help inflatable balloon was(0.60±0.52),and there was statistical significance in preoperative and postoperative comparison(P＜0.05).The dysphagia score 3 months after removal of the external self-help inflatable balloon was(0.70±0.48),there was no significant difference in dysphagia score between the day after surgery and 3 months after surgery(P＞0.05).The diameter of the stricture before and after operation was(5.09±2.02)mm and(10.35±0.73)mm respectively,and the difference was statistically significant(P＜0.05).Sore throat,wing of nose pain and balloon displacement were the most common adverse events,with 30.0％(3/10),50.0％(5/10)and 70.0％(7/10),respectively.Conclusion It is safe,effective and feasible to treat refractory benign upper digestive tract stricture with self-help inflatable balloon in vitro.It is worthy for clinical application.

Objective To explore the effects of methimazole on endocrine function in patients with hyperthyroidism at different neuregulin 4(NRG4)levels.Methods A total of 60 patients with hyperthyroidism admitted to Huzhou First People's Hospital from January 2022 to January 2023 were selected.According to the level of NRG4,they were divided into case Ⅰ group(NRG4<80ng/ml,28 cases),case Ⅱ group(NRG4 80-120ng/ml,18 cases)and case Ⅲ group(NRG4>120ng/ml,14 cases).The clinical efficacy,thyroid hormone levels,glucose and lipid metabolism indexes and adverse reactions of three groups were compared.Results The difference of total effective rate among three groups was statistically significant(χ2=10.836,P<0.001).There were statistically significant differences in thyroid-stimulating hormone(TSH),free triiodothyronine(FT3),free thyroxine(FT4)between groups,time points and interactions among three groups(P<0.05).TSH levels increased and FT3 and FT4 levels decreased in all three groups after treatment(P<0.05).One month after treatment,the levels of fasting blood glucose,2h postprandial blood glucose,glycated hemoglobin,total cholesterol and low density lipoprotein cholesterol in three groups were significantly lower than before treatment(P<0.05),and the differences in above indicators among the three groups were statistically significant(P<0.05).There was no significant difference in total incidence of adverse reactions among three groups(χ2=5.349,P=0.069).After treatment,NRG4 levels in three groups decreased significantly over time(P<0.05).There were significant differences in NRG4 levels among the three groups at different time points(P<0.05),and case Ⅰ group

Objective To investigate the relationship between platelet distribution width(PDW)and coronary artery calcification(CAC)in overweight and obese populations.Methods Clinical and chest CT data of 10 838 subjects with overweight or obesity(body mass index[BMI]≥24 kg/m2)were retrospectively analyzed.The subjects were divided into CAC group(n=4 237)and non-CAC group(n=6 601)based on CAC scores obtained from chest CT.The relationship between PDW and CAC in overweight and obese populations was analyzed after controlling confounding variables.A threshold effect analysis was conducted using a two-stage logistic model to find the non-linear inflection point.Subgroup analyses and interaction tests were conducted to validate the stability of the relationship between PDW and CAC.Results Non-linear relationship was observed between PDW and CAC risk in overweight and obese populations.The risk of CAC decreased with the increase of PDW which ≤17.80％(OR=0.82),but increased with the increase of PDW(OR=1.04)which＞17.80％.Subgroup analysis showed that the relationship between PDW and CAC remained stable in subgroups of different genders,BMI(＜28 kg/m2,≥28 kg/m2)and hypertension(all P＞0.05).Compared with aged＜40 years or ≥60 years subgroups,under the same PDW,aged≥40 and＜60 years subgroups had higher risk of CAC(interaction P=0.015).Conclusion Nonlinear relationship existed between PDW and CAC in overweight and obese populations.Both excessively high and low PDW were risk factors of CAC.

Objective:To investigate the additional value of 99Tc m-hydrazinonicotinamide (HYNIC)-Tyr3-octreotide (TOC) SPECT/CT imaging in the diagnosis and treatment of gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (GEP-NETs). Methods:A total of 54 patients (28 males and 26 females, age: (52.6±11.7) years) who underwent enhanced CT (MR) and 99Tc m-HYNIC-TOC SPECT/CT in People′s Hospital of Zhengzhou University between December 2017 and June 2023 were analyzed retrospectively. Surgical pathology or biopsy was the gold standard of patients′ diagnosis (primary tumors), and comprehensive evaluation based on pathology, imaging and follow-up results was used as the diagnostic criteria of lesions. McNemar χ2 test was used to compare the diagnostic efficacy of different imaging methods. Results:Pathological results showed that 43 of the 54 patients were with GEP-NETs and 11 were with non-neuroendocrine tumors (NETs). The sensitivities of enhanced CT and enhanced MR in the diagnosis of patients with GEP-NETs were 65.1%(28/43) and 60.0%(15/25) respectively, which increased to 93.0%(40/43) and 92.0%(23/25) with the addition of 99Tc m-HYNIC-TOC imaging ( χ2 values: 8.64, 4.90, P values: 0.002, 0.021). There were 22 and 15 patients showing atypical enhancement on enhanced CT and enhanced MR respectively. The sensitivities of these two methods for GEP-NETs in patients with atypical enhancement were 54.5%(12/22) and 8/15 respectively, which increased to 95.5%(21/22) and 14/15 with the addition of 99Tc m-HYNIC-TOC imaging ( χ2 values: 5.82, 4.17, P values: 0.012, 0.031). Compared with enhanced CT, the detection rates of liver and bone metastatic lesions were improved significantly from 90.8%(158/174) and 55.2%(32/58) to 96.6%(168/174) and 87.9%(51/58) with the addition of 99Tc m-HYNIC-TOC imaging ( χ2 values: 5.79, 9.82, P values: 0.013, 0.001). Compared with enhanced MR, the detection rate of bone metastases was improved significantly from 56.0%(14/25) to 88.0%(22/25) with the addition of 99Tc m-HYNIC-TOC imaging ( χ2=4.08, P=0.039). After 99Tc m-HYNIC-TOC imaging, stages were changed in 7.0%(3/43) of patients and a greater number or extent of metastases were detected in 11.6%(5/43) of patients. 99Tc m-HYNIC-TOC imaging detected additional recurrent or metastatic lesions in 40.0%(8/20) of patients during follow-up compared to enhanced CT. Conclusion:99Tc m-HYNIC-TOC imaging can provide an added value for diagnosing GEP-NETs with atypically enhanced CT(MR), and in the detection of liver metastasis and early bone metastasis, thus helping the optimization of clinical treatment strategies.