Background As one of the key populations in the prevention and treatment of iodine deficiency disorders, it is important to continuously monitor the iodine nutritional level of school-age children. The current reference interval for thyroid volume in China is based on age only, without taking into account differences in individual developmental levels, and the distribution of thyroid volume may vary regionally due to economic, demographic, and environmental factors. The current reference cut-off points for thyroid volume proposed by the World Health Organization are not based on the Chinese population. Objective To understand the iodine nutritional status and distribution of thyroid volume (Tvol) among children aged 8-10 years in Huangpu District, Shanghai, China, to identify impact factors of Tvol, and to propose a reference range upper limit for local thyroid health surveillance, so as to provide a basis for goiter control and prevention. Methods Six hundred children aged 8-10 years in Huangpu District were recruited in 2017, 2020, and 2023, and body height, weight, thyroid volume, urinary iodine, and iodine content of household edible salt were determined. A multilevel model was constructed using population density and area as regional variables, and age, body surface area (BSA), and body mass index (BMI) as potential impact factors for at the individual level, to assess their effects on thyroid volume. Quantile regression of thyroid volume was performed, and the 98th percentile (P₉₈) of thyroid volume was predicted based on age and BSA. Results The iodized salt coverage in the households of surveyed children in 2017, 2020, and 2023 was 72.0%, 57.0%, and 48.0%, respectively, and the iodized salt coverage decreased by year (χ²=24.31, P<0.001). The urinary iodine level of children in 2017 was higher than that in 2020 and 2023 (χ²=18.77, P<0.001). The Tvol medians of children in 2017, 2020, and 2023 were 2.29, 2.49, and 2.97 mL, respectively, and the Tvol increased by year (χ²=60.04, P<0.001). The proportion of goiter was higher in children in 2023 than in 2017 and 2020 (χ²=6.57, P<0.05). Sex differences were not statistically significant for urinary iodine levels, thyroid volume, and goiter. The median Tvol was 2.26, 2.58, and 2.76 mL in children of 8, 9, and 10 years old respectively, and the Tvol increased with age (χ²=49.02, P <0.001). Tvol was positively correlated with age, BSA, and BMI with correlation coefficients of 0.2846, 0.3723, and 0.2950, respectively. The final quantile regression model showed that the strongest effect of BSA was associated with the 98th percentile of Tvol. Multilevel models considering population density or area as regional variables failed to achieve convergence. Conclusion To establish the upper limit of the reference interval for thyroid volume of healthy children in Huangpu District, the effects of age and BSA should be considered at the individual level, and the upper limit of the normal interval for goiter screening is suggested to be the 98th percentile value of BSA at the same age. In addition, the adaptability of population density and regional area as indicators of regional aggregation of thyroid volume distribution still needs to be further explored.

Objective: To explore the association between maternal lipid levels during pregnancy and the risk of overweight and obesity in offspring at 3 years of age, providing scientific evidences for the prevention and control of childhood obesity. Methods: A total of 2 432 mother-child pairs with maternal lipid tests during pregnancy and offspring s physical growth data at 3 years of age were included from the Borin in Guangzhou Cohort Study up to September 2021. Lipid indicators, including high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), low density lipoprotein cholesterol(LDL-C), triglycerides (TG), and total cholesterol (TC), were measured at 13-19 +6 weeks (mid pregnancy) and 32-39 +6 weeks (late pregnancy). Children s body mass index (BMI) Z score were calculated according to the World Health Organization s growth standards for children under 5 years old. The lipid Z score were divided into four quartiles: Q 1, Q 2, Q 3 and Q 4. Linear regression was used to analyze the relationship between maternal lipid levels during pregnancy and offspring’s BMI Z score at 3 years of age. Poisson regression with a robust error variance was employed to evaluate the association between maternal lipid levels during pregnancy and the at risk of overweight and obesity in offspring at 3 years of age, after adjusting for maternal age at conception, education level, parity, pre pregnancy BMI and gestational diabetes mellitus. Results: There was a statistically significnt difference in the detection rate of overweight and obesity risk among children with different mothers s pre pregnancy BMI ( χ 2=22.85, P <0.05). Linear regression analysis showed that TG levels in late pregnancy were positively related to BMI Z score ( β=0.10, 95%CI=0.02-0.18, P <0.05). Poisson regression with a robust error variance indicated that, compared with the Q 1 group of TC, the Q 4 group of TC in mid pregnancy was associated with an increased risk of overweight and obesity in offspring at 3 years of age ( RR=1.59, 95%CI =1.04-2.44); compared with the Q 1 group of TG, the Q 4 group of TG during late pregnancy increased the risk of overweight and obesity in offspring at 3 years of age ( RR=1.79, 95%CI =1.02-3.12) (both P <0.05). Conclusions Maternal serum TC level during mid pregnancy can increase the risk of overweight and obesity in offspring at 3 years of age. Maternal serum TG levels during late pregnancy is positively correlated with BMI and the risk of overweight and obesity in offspring at 3 years of age.

Objective:To analyze the genetic characteristics of the complete genome of a strain of human respiratory syncytial virus (HRSV) in Qinghai province in 2024.Methods:A total of 300 samples were collected during 2024 influenza surveillance in Qinghai province sentinel hospitals from patients with fever accompanied by severe respiratory infection symptoms. We used real-time fluorescent quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction RT-PCR) method to screen out HRSV subtype B (HRSVB) positive specimens, whole genome sequencing was performed on positivespecimens meeting the requirements for the sequencing. After downloading the global representative HRSVB genotypes at GenBank database, sequence alignment was performed, related evolutionary tree was built and the calculation and analyses of genetic distance were done, analyses of HRSVB sequencing of sequence homology of nucleotides, amino acids and amino acid mutation were performed.Results:The first strain in Qinghai, China/qinghai/2024-03 had a complete sequence of 15 140 bp nucleotides, with HRSV′s all structural characteristics, and subtype HRSVA prototype strain Long strains of nucleotide the lowest homology was 80.0%, and subtype HRSVB prototype strain nucleotide homology was above 94.7%. The result indicated that the first strain in Qinghai belonged to HRSVB subtype. Genetic evolution shows China/qinghai/2024-03 and USA/WA-S23450/2021 (OR326803.1) and Germany/2021 (OR795235.1) all belong to a branch, they have the closest relationship. Phylogenetic analysis of G gene showed that the strain belonged to BA9 genotype of HRSVB subtype, and the hypervariable regions of the genome were SH and G genes.Conclusions:In this study, the complete genome sequence of HRSV China/qinghai/2024-03 was obtained for the first time, and the basic molecular structural characteristics were elucidated, which filled the gaps in the gene and amino acid data of HRSV in our province, and also provided a basis for HRSV epidemiology.

Chronic pancreatitis(CP)is a progressive fibroinflammatory disease characterized by destruction of pancreatic aci-nar cells,infiltration of inflammatory cells,activation of pancreatic stellate cell(PSC),and pancreatic fibrosis.Autophagy partici-pates in the maintenance of cell homeostasis.Recent studies have shown that autophagy closely related to the occurrence and develop-ment of CP.However,several autophagy types in the pancreatic microenvironment play different roles in the progression of CP.The autophagy of acinar cells has a"double-edged sword"effect.PSC autophagy is positively correlated with its activation,while the role of autophagy of inflammatory cells is still unclear.This study focused on some key cells in the CP microenvironment and explored the role and mechanism of autophagy in the progression of CP.

Objective To explore the comorbidity patterns of different gender patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease(COPD)and provide theoretical basis for the hierarchical management of COPD patients.Methods The patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease from December 2011 to May 2020 in the Second Hospital of Shanxi Medical University were selected as the study subjects.The cross-sectional diagnostic information of patients was collected to establish a comorbidity network.The community of the comorbidity network was divided by Louvain method,and the comorbidity types,combinations and prevalence rates of patients with different genders were analyzed and compared.Results Our study manifested that there were differences in the prevalence of single chronic disease and comorbidity in patients with different genders.The corresponding comorbidity network and community structure of each patient group were also different.Conclusion The comorbidity network of male patients is more concentrated and complex than that of female patients.The comorbidity pattern of male patients is more complex and diverse than that of female patients,and the relationship between diseases is closer.It verifies that the comorbidity pattern of different gender patients is different.In patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease,more attention should be paid to male patients in order to reduce the incidence of comorbidity.

Objective:To explore the value of machine-learning models based on magnetic resonance imaging(MRI)radiomics features for the preoperative prediction of the blood supply in pituitary neuroendocrine tumors.Methods:A retrospective analysis was performed on the clinical and imaging data of 136 patients with pathologically confirmed pituitary neuroendocrine tumors(diameter>10 mm)from April 2013 to April 2023 at Yi Jishan Hospital of Wannan Medical College.Based on the intraoperative findings,the patients were assigned into richly vascularized(n=50)and normally vascularized(n=86)groups.All patients were allocated randomly in a 7:3 ratio into a training(n=96)or a validation group(n=40).Three machine-learning algorithms,multivariate Logistic regression(LR),random forest(RF),and support vec-tor machine(SVM),were used to establish radiomics prediction models.Receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curves were plotted to eval-uate the diagnostic performance of the models;decision curve analysis(DCA)was used to assess the net clinical benefit of the models.Res-ults:The clinical model achieved areas under the ROC curve(AUC)of 0.74 and 0.82 in the training and validation groups,respectively.The radiomics models using T1-weighted imaging(WI),T2WI,T1WI-enhanced,and combined sequences achieved AUCs of 0.80,0.84,0.82,and 0.84 in the training group and 0.82,0.80,0.85,and 0.83 in the validation group,respectively.The LR,RF,and SVM models had AUCs of 0.85,0.87,and 0.84 in the training group and 0.85,0.85,and 0.83 in the validation group,respectively.All radiomics models demonstrated great-er diagnostic efficacy than the clinical model.DCA indicated that the LR,SVM,and combined-sequence models achieved good net clinical be-nefits;the LR model showed the best results.Conclusions:Machine-learning models based on MRI radiomics exhibit high predictive value,surpassing the clinical judgment of radiologists based on MRI images alone,and offer a favorable net clinical benefit.

OBJECTIVE: The prepare decellularized extracellular matrix (ECM) scaffold materials derived from human cervical carcinoma tissues for 3D culture of cervical carcinoma cells. METHODS: Fresh human cervical carcinoma tissues were treated with sodium lauryl ether sulfate (SLES) solution to prepare decellularized ECM scaffolds. The scaffolds were examined for ECM microstructure and residual contents of key ECM components (collagen, glycosaminoglycan, and elastin) and genetic materials by pathological staining and biochemical content analysis. In vitro 3D culture models were established by injecting cultured cervical cancer cells into the prepared ECM scaffolds. The cells in the recellularized scaffolds were compared with those in a conventional 2D culture system for cell behaviors including migration, proliferation and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) wsing HE staining, immunohistochemical staining and molecular biological technology analysis. Resistance to 5-fluorouracil (5-Fu) of the cells in the two culture systems was tested by analyzing the cell apoptosis rates via flow cytometry. RESULTS: SLES treatment effectively removed cells and genetic materials from human cervical carcinoma tissues but well preserved the microenvironment structure and biological activity of ECM. Compared with the 2D culture system, the 3D culture models significantly promoted proliferation, migration, EMT and 5-Fu resistance of human cervical cancer cells. CONCLUSION The decellularized ECM scaffolds prepared using human cervical carcinoma tissues provide the basis for construction of in vitro 3D culture models for human cervical cancer cells.
Female ; Humans ; Decellularized Extracellular Matrix ; Extracellular Matrix ; Uterine Cervical Neoplasms ; Tissue Scaffolds/chemistry* ; Carcinoma ; Fluorouracil/pharmacology* ; Tissue Engineering ; Tumor Microenvironment

Objective:To investigate the clinical significance and possible mechanisms of elevated homocysteine(Hcy) levels in peripheral blood of children with sepsis.Methods:The clinical data of 51 children with sepsis (sepsis group) admitted to PICU at Xuzhou Children′s Hospital from January 2019 to December 2019 were analyzed, and the levels of Hcy in plasma were compared with 50 non-septic children (common infection group) and 50 healthy children (healthy control group) during the same period.The possible mechanism of metabolic disorders about Hcy was analyzed by detecting the levels of the key rate-limiting enzymes cystathionine-β-synthase(CBS) and cystathionine-γ-lyase(CSE), which were in the downstream of metabolism in septic mouse model induced by lipopolysaccharide.Results:The level of Hcy in plasma was (12.62±5.46)μmol/L in sepsis group, which was significantly higher than those in common infection group[(9.42±2.28) μmol/L] and healthy control group[(8.14±1.60) μmol/L]( P<0.05). The level of Hcy in plasma of 12 children with acute kidney injury in sepsis group was significantly higher than that of 39 children without acute kidney injury in sepsis group[(16.48±5.87)μmol/L vs.(11.62±4.74) μmol/L, P<0.05]. The level of Hcy in plasma of six children with acute liver failure in sepsis group was significant higher than that of 45 children without acute liver failure in sepsis group[(18.35±7.10) μmol/L vs.(11.84±4.78) μmol/L, P<0.05]. The level of Hcy in serum significantly increased in septic mouse models ( P<0.01). The transcription and protein expression levels of key rate-limiting Hcy transcription enzymes CBS and CSE in liver and kidney tissues of septic mouse were significantly down-regulated ( P<0.05). Conclusion:The level of Hcy in peripheral blood of children with sepsis increases, which is more obviously in children with acute kidney injury or acute liver injury.When patients developed sepsis, the expression of CBS and CSE will be restrained, leading to disorders related to transsulfuration metabolism and elevated level of Hcy in peripheral blood.

Objective:Based on targeted amplicon technology combined with high-throughput sequencing technology and bioinformatic analysis technology, to understand the characteristics of the whole genome of the monkeypox virus and its variation, and to construct a method for the analysis of monkeypox virus variation and molecular traceability of the case in Qinghai province, and to provide technical support for the prevention and control of monkeypox epidemic in the future.Methods:The extracted viral DNA was used as a template, and the genome of monkeypox virus was specifically amplified by Ion AmpliSeq Monkeypox Panel with the number of amplicons 1 609 and the length of 125 bp-275 bp, and the sequencing library was constructed by Ion AmpliSeq Library Kit Plus, and sequenced by Ion Torrent GeneStudio S5. The sequencing library was constructed by Ion AmpliSeq Library Kit Plus, and the monkeypox virus genome was sequenced using Ion Torrent GeneStudio S5 sequencer. Monkeypox virus was analyzed for genomic profiling and mutation site analysis using the online analysis tool Nextclade. The genomic sequence of the case virus in this study was compared with some sequences in the GIASID monkeypox virus database and a phylogenetic tree was constructed to analyze the potential origin of the case virus.Results:The Ct values of monkeypox virus genes in the rash swab and oropharyngeal swab samples were 32.13 and 36.91, respectively. The rash swab sample had a reads number match of 99.99% and a genome coverage of 99.45% after whole-genome sequencing of monkeypox virus, and the sequences belonged to the IIb (West African branch) B. 1.3 type. The analysis of nucleotide mutation sites and phylogenetic tree showed that the sequences were in the same branch with four monkeypox virus genome sequences recently submitted by China and Japan in the GISAID monkeypox virus database, and had the closest evolutionary relationship with the sequence EPI_ISL_18059184 (sampled on 2023-07-03) submitted by Yunnan, China, which shared 82 single-nucleotide mutation sites, among which the sequence from Yunnan was only present in all of the shared 82 single-nucleotide mutation sites. The sequence in this study has 2 additional nucleotide mutation sites on top of the shared 82 single nucleotide mutation sites. The sequence submitted by Japan, EPI_ISL_17692269 (sampled on 2023-04-28), is more closely related in evolution, sharing 78 single nucleotide mutation sites, with 7 single nucleotide mutation site differences, and the Japanese sequence shares 78 single nucleotide mutation sites. The Japanese sequence shared 78 mutation sites with one additional nucleotide mutation site (G57786A), while the present sequence had six additional nucleotide mutation sites (G13563A, C21062T, G101241A, C142797T, G152866A, T169721A).Conclusions:The whole genome sequence of monkeypox virus of 197 084 bp was successfully obtained from a sample with low viral load, and the average. We constructed a method for sequencing and analyzing the whole genome of monkeypox virus.

Objective:To analyze the clinical characteristics of Group A Streptococcal(GAS) toxic shock syndrome (STSS) in children. Methods:The clinical data of 10 STSS children hospitalized in Shenzhen Children′s Hospital from January 2015 to March 2022 were downloaded from the electronic medical record system.The clinical manifestations were analyzed and treatment experience was summarized respectively.Results:There were 5 males and 5 females, with an average age of (5.29±2.87) years.All the patients were healthy in the past.The diagnoses were confirmed by blood culture in 2 cases, pus culture in 5 cases, and blood metagenomics next generation sequencing in 3 cases.The rapid detection of GAS antigen was positive in 7 cases.All cases had fever, and 9 cases of them developed fever after viral infection, including pneumonia in 7 cases, skin and soft tissue infections in 6 cases, necrotizing fasciitis in 3 cases, and purulent meningitis in 1 case.All cases also presented with shock.Six cases had liver function injury, and 4 cases suffered from acute kindey injury.Four cases had infection-related encephalopathy, and 7 cases were afflicted with disseminated intravascular coagulation.Two cases had respiratory failure, and 2 cases had rhabdomyolysis.There were 3 cases with a decreased white blood cell (WBC) count and 7 cases with an increased WBC count on admission.Seven cases were found to have thrombocytopenia, but their platelet levels were all elevated after recovery.C-reactive protein and procalcitonin and the proportion of neutrophils were markedly increased in all cases.All cases suffered from hypoalbuminemia, hyponatremia and hypocalcemia.All the 10 positive strains were sensitive to Penicillin, Ceftriaxone/Cefotaxime and Vancomycin.Eight cases were treated with combined antibiotics after admission.Eight patients received intravenous immunoglobulin.All cases were cured and discharged.Conclusions:The STSS progresses rapidly in children, so pediatricians should pay great attention to the disease.Early identification, diagnosis of infection sources, infusion of antibiotics and surgical treatment are the keys to disease management.