BACKGROUND:Knee osteoarthritis is a degenerative disease caused by multiple factors.Its pathogenesis is complex and still unclear.Chinese medicine in the treatment of knee osteoarthritis is fruitful,and in-depth study of Chinese medicine in the treatment of knee osteoarthritis is of great significance. OBJECTIVE:To review the progress of Chinese medicine monomers and compounds in the treatment of knee osteoarthritis and to provide ideas and reference for the effective prevention and treatment of knee osteoarthritis. METHODS:CNKI,WanFang,VIP,PubMed,MEDLINE,Nature,and Cochrane databases were retrieved for relevant literature published from database inception to 2022.The keywords were"knee osteoarthritis,cartilage damage,traditional Chinese medicine,Chinese herbal compound,treatment"in Chinese and English.Duplicates and obsolete non-referenced literature were excluded,and a total of 62 standard papers were included for further review. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:Some of the pathogeneses of knee osteoarthritis include immune inflammatory response,chondrocyte autophagy and apoptosis,vascular endothelial growth factor level and biomechanical imbalance.The mechanisms by which traditional Chinese medicine treats knee osteoarthritis mainly focus on regulating inflammatory factor levels,chondrocyte autophagy and apoptosis,and vascular endothelial growth factor level and improving cartilage performance,so as to delay the occurrence and development of knee osteoarthritis.

Osteoporosis （OP） is a systemic metabolic bone disease caused by various factors， with a high incidence， and its pathogenesis is not yet clear. There is no specific drug for prevention and treatment， making it a significant global public health issue. In recent years， research has found that autophagy plays a role in the development of OP， and intervention in autophagy has become a hot topic in OP treatment. With further research， there has been a gradual increase in studies related to autophagy regulation by traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） to treat OP， and the treatment efficacy has been recognized. However， there is still a lack of systematic reviews on the mechanisms of autophagy in OP and the specific targets of TCM intervention in autophagy for OP treatment. Therefore， this article systematically reviewed the impact of autophagy on bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells （BMSCs）， osteoblasts， osteoclasts， and bone cells in the development of OP， as well as studies on TCM intervention in cell autophagy for OP treatment， aiming to provide a theoretical reference for the treatment of OP and further research in this field.

Objectives:To analyze the clinical characteristics, treatment effectiveness and long-term prognosis of childhood-onset lupus nephritis (LN), and to explore the risk factors for progression to end-stage renal disease (ESRD).Methods:In this retrospective study, the clinical data including general conditions, clinical manifestations, laboratory examinations, treatment, following up (till December 31st, 2020) and prognosis of 343 children with LN who were treated and followed up in the First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University from January 1, 2003 to December 31, 2019 were analyzed. Complete remission rates were compared between different pathological types according to renal biopsies and flare rates were compared between complete remission group and partial remission group according to the treatment effectiveness after 6 months of induction treatment. To investigate the risk factors of ESRD, the prognosis of flare and non-flare cases, and of cases with normal and elevated serum creatinine levels at baseline, was compared. Chi-squared tests were used for comparison between groups, and cumulative survival rate and renal survival rates were calculated by Kaplan-Meier survival analysis. Risk factors for ESRD were analyzed by COX regression model.Results:Among the 343 children, 68 were males (19.8%) and 275 were females (80.2%) with a median age of 13.0 (11.0, 16.0) years. Regarding the renal symptoms, 305 (88.9%) children had proteinuria and 245 (71.4%) had hematuria; while for extra-renal manifestations, 273 (79.6%) had anemia, 183 (53.4%) had rashes and 165 (48.1%) had fever. A total of 212 (61.8%) children had severely active SLE at initial presentation. After 6 months of induction treatment, the complete remission rate was 63.8% (219/343) and the partial remission rate was 27.1% (93/343). The complete remission rate was significantly higher in type Ⅰ and type Ⅱ LN compared to type Ⅳ LN (10/12 vs. 82/135 (60.7%), χ2 =3.936, P=0.047). One hundred and ten children who achieved remission, including complete remission and partial remission, experienced renal flare with a flare rate of 35.3% and a mean time to flare was (43.2±28.4) months. There was no significant difference in flare rates between complete and partial remission group (36.1% (79/219) vs. 33.3% (31/93), χ2=3.394, P=0.065). The follow-up time of all the children was 60.4 (32.3, 100.9) months. During the follow-up period, 15 children died and the cumulative survival rates at 3, 5 and 10 years were 97.2%, 96.4% and 93.3%, respectively; 14 children progressed to ESRD and the cumulative renal survival rates at 3, 5, and 10 years were 99.2%, 97.1%, and 93.4%, respectively. COX multivariate analysis demonstrated that elevated serum creatinine at baseline, nephritic flare and nephrotic flare were independent risk factors for progression of ESRD ( hazard ratio (HR)=3.575, 21.550 and 8.590, 95% CI 1.127-11.341, 2.394-194.027 and 1.042-70.823, P=0.031, 0.006, and 0.046, respectively). Conclusions:Children with LN are characterized by high SLE disease activity and multi-system involvement at onset. After 6 months of induction treatment, most of LN children could achieve clinical remission but some would experience renal flare. Nephritic flare, nephrotic flare and elevated serum creatinine at onset are independent risk factors for the progression of ESRD in children with LN.

Objective:To explore the diagnosis and treatment of focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS) post-kidney transplantation in children.Methods:Clinical data were retrospectively analyzed for 6 FSGS children after transplantation from 2015 to 2019. Massive proteinuria (3.2-13 g/24 h) occurred at 4 days-49 days post-transplantation. For proteinuria, glucocorticoid plus therapeutic plasma exchange and/or rituximab were provided with supplemental ACEI/ARB drugs. Five cases received tacrolimus as maintenance therapy while another case had cyclosporin A as an initial intensive therapy and switched to tacrolimus.Results:Four cases achieved complete remission after therapy. One recipient showed partial remission. During a follow up period of 11 months to 4 years, serum creatinine remained normal and stable in five cases while one died from severe pulmonary infection.Conclusions:Once FSGS occurs post-transplantation, prompt treatment of pulse glucocorticoid plus therapeutic plasma exchange and/or rituximab with supplemental ACEI/ARB drugs may yield favorable outcomes.

Objective:To investigate the impact of different type of dyslipidemia on clinical and pathological characteristics in children with IgA nephropathy (IgAN).Methods:A retrospective study was performed at the Children Kidney Disease Center, the First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University between January 2006 to September 2019. Children diagnosed with primary IgAN was divided into dyslipidemia group and normal blood lipid group according to whether the blood lipid is normal, and was divided into the following four groups: hypercholesterolemia group, hypertriglyceridemia group, mixed hyperlipidemia group and low high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) group according to clinical classification. The clinical and pathological features in different groups were analyzed, and the risk factors of dyslipidemia were analyzed by using multivariate logistic regression analysis.Results:A total of 252 children with IgAN were enrolled in this study, including 169 males and 83 females, with a male/female ratio of 2.04∶1 and an age of (9.3±3.1) years. Among them, 34.5% IgAN children were complicated with hypertension, and 170 cases (67.5%) were in dyslipidemia group, 82 cases (32.5%) in normal blood lipid group. According to clinical classification, the children in dyslipidemia group were divided into hypercholesterolemia group (58 cases, 23.0%), hypertriglyceridemia group (16 cases, 6.3%), mixed hyperlipidemia group (77 cases, 30.6%) and low HDL-C group (19 cases, 7.5%). The systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, proportion of hypertension, blood urea nitrogen, uric acid and urinary protein in dyslipidemia group were higher than those in normal blood lipid group (all P<0.05), and the levels of serum albumin, blood IgA and estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) were less (all P<0.05). The proportion of IgAN children in chronic kidney disease (CKD) stage 1 and CKD stage 2-5 with dyslipidemia was 65.0% and 84.4% respectively, and the proportion of IgAN children with CKD stage 2-5 in dyslipidemia group was higher than that in normal group ( P<0.05). The dyslipidemia group had a higher proportion of Lee Ⅲ-V grade than normal blood lipid group ( P<0.01). The results of Oxford pathological classification showed that the proportions of M1 and E1 in dyslipidemia group were higher than those in normal lipid group (all P<0.05), and there was no significant difference in segmental glomerulosclerosis, tubular atrophy or interstitial fibrosis and crescent between the two groups (all P>0.05). The comparison results between groups with different types of dyslipidemia showed that systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, serum uric acid and urinary protein in the mixed hyperlipidemia group were higher than those in other groups (all P<0.05), and the serum albumin level was less ( P<0.01). The results of Oxford pathological classification showed that the proportion of E1 in hypercholesterolemia group and mixed hyperlipidemia group was higher ( P<0.05). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that hypertension ( OR=2.734, 95% CI 1.327-5.632, P=0.006) and low serum albumin ( OR=0.838, 95% CI 0.791-0.889, P<0.001) were the risk factors of dyslipidemia in children with IgAN. Conclusions:In our center, 67.5% IgAN children are accompanied by dyslipidemia. The clinical manifestations and pathological changes of these dyslipidemia children are more severe than those with normal blood lipid, and the IgAN children with mixed hyperlipidemia are more notable. Hypertension and low serum albumin are the risk factors of dyslipidemia in children with IgAN.

Objective:To analyze the brain function of patients with delirium in intensive care unit (ICU) using resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), further analyze the structural changes in the brain using diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), and explore the correlations of brain function with structural changes in patients with delirium in ICU from a new perspective of functional imaging, provide visual evidence for the diagnosis of delirium.Methods:Patients with delirium admitted to ICU of the Affiliated Hospital of Zunyi Medical University from January 1st to December 31st in 2017 were enrolled as subjects. During the same period, the healthy volunteers who matched the gender, age and education level of the patients with delirium were enrolled as control group. The intensive care delirium screening checklist (ICDSC) scores within 24 hours after ICU admission were recorded. All the subjects were scanned by fMRI and DTI. The abnormal changes in resting-state brain function of the patients with delirium were evaluated by cerebral regional homogeneity (ReHo) data analysis. The DTI data were processed by the FSL software, and the fractional anisotropy (FA) and mean diffusivity (MD) of the brain were extracted, respectively, to evaluate the damage to brain structure. The values of ReHo, FA and MD were compared between the two groups. The ReHo value of brain region with reduced ReHo value of patients with delirium as compared with the healthy volunteers was extracted for Pearson correlation analysis with ICDSC scores.Results:A total of 22 patients with delirium were included. Seven patients who did not cooperate in the examination, used sedatives or had false images in scanning, were excluded. Finally, 15 patients were enrolled in the delirium group, and 15 healthy volunteers in the healthy control group. ① No statistically significant difference was found in gender, age or education time between the two groups. ICDSC score of the delirium group was significantly higher than that of the healthy control group (6.07±1.28 vs. 1.07±0.88, P < 0.01). ② fMRI scanning and analysis results: compared with the healthy control group, the ReHo values of the cerebellum, right hippocampus, striatum, midbrain and pons in the delirium group were significantly increased (all P < 0.05, AlphaSim correction), while the ReHo values of bilateral superior frontal gyrus, bilateral median frontal gyrus, left inferior frontal gyrus, temporal lobe and parietal lobe were significantly lowered (all P < 0.05, AlphaSim correction). Correlation analysis showed that the ReHo value of the left superior frontal gyrus was negatively correlated with ICDSC score in the patients with delirium ( r = -0.794, P < 0.05), indicating that the changes in the functional area of the medial frontal gyrus was most closely related to delirium. ③ DTI scanning and analysis results: compared with the healthy control group, the FA values of the left cerebellum, bilateral frontal lobes, left temporal lobe, corpus callosum and left hippocampus in the delirium group were decreased significantly (all P < 0.05, AlphaSim correction), while the MD values of the medial frontal gyrus, right superior temporal gyrus, anterior cingulate gyrus, bilateral insular lobes and left caudate nucleus were enhanced significantly (all P < 0.05, AlphaSim correction), suggesting that the structural and functional damage was found in multiple brain regions in patients with delirium. Conclusions:Multiple brain regions of patients with delirium present abnormal resting-state brain function. The abnormal resting-state brain function of the left superior frontal gyrus is closely related to the occurrence of delirium. Structural damage is found in multiple brain regions of patients with delirium. The structural changes in the frontal lobe, temporal lobe, corpus callosum, hippocampus and cerebellum and their abnormal functions can be used as preliminary imaging indexes for the diagnosis of delirium.

Objective: To establish comprehensive laboratory reference intervals for Chinese children. Methods: This was a cross-sectional multicenter study. From June 2013 to December 2014, eligible healthy children aged from 6-month to 17-year were enrolled from 20 medical centers with informed consent. They were assessed by physical examination, questionnaire survey and abdominal ultrasound for eligibility. Fasting blood samples were collected and delivered to central laboratory. Measurements of 15 clinical laboratory parameters were performed, including estradiol (E2), testosterone(T), luteinizing hormone(LH), follicle-stimulating hormone(FSH), alanine transaminase(ALT), serum creatinine(Scr), cystatin C, immunoglobulin A(IgA), immunoglobulin G(IgG), immunoglobulin M(IgM), complement (C3, C4), alkaline phosphatase(ALP), uric acid(UA) and creatine kinase(CK). Reference intervals were established according to central 95% confidence intervals for reference population, stratified by age and sex. Results: In total, 2 259 children were enrolled. Finally, 1 648 children were eligible for this study, including 830 boys and 818 girls, at a mean age of 7.4 years. Age- and sex- specific reference intervals have been established for the parameters. Reference intervals of sex hormones increased gradually with age. Concentrations of ALT, cystatin C, ALP and CK were higher in children under 2 years old. Serum levels of sex hormones, creatinine, immunoglobin, CK, ALP and urea increased rapidly in adolescence, with significant sex difference. In addition, reference intervals were variable depending on assay methods. Concentrations of ALT detected by reagents with pyridoxal 5'-phosphate(PLP) were higher than those detected by reagents without PLP. Compared with enzymatic method, Jaffe assay always got higher results of serum creatinine, especially in children younger than 9 years old. Conclusion This study established age- and sex- specific reference intervals, for 15 clinical laboratory parameters based on defined healthy children.

Objective To analyze the podocyte gene mutation in children with steroid -resistant nephrotic syndrome (SRNS),and to explore the clinical manifestations and prognosis of children with gene mutation,so as to pro-vide a theoretical basis for the diagnosis and treatment of SRNS gene mutation in children. Methods Twenty-four pa-tients with SRNS diagnosis and ages less than 14 years old were selected from the Pediatric Nephrology Center of First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-Sen University during August 31,2014 to September 1,2016. The gene detection was performed through PCR amplification and second DNA general sequencing,in which the target genes were detected in 23 cases with nephrotic panel,and 1 case was sequenced with the exon gene. Results There were 14 cases of male and 10 cases of female in 24 cases of genetic testing. The median age of onset was 4. 7 years old. There were 9 cases of sim-ple type,15 cases of nephritis type. And all the cases were primary steroid-resistant. Within the 20 cases of renal biop-sy,there were 5 cases of minimal change disease (MCD),11 cases of focal segmental glomerulosclerosis(FSGS),and 4 cases of mesangial proliferative glomerulonephritis (MsPGN). In the 24 cases,there were 8 cases of gene mutation. Their age was (3. 97 ± 3. 61)years old. The ratio of male and female was 1. 67:1. 00. The main clinical classification was nephritis type (6/8 cases). The major genes were NPHS2(3 cases),NPHS1(2 cases),INF2(2 cases),MYO1E(1 case). And FSGS was the main pathological type (4 cases). Most of them were no remission or end stage renal disease (ESRD)(6/8 cases),including 2 cases of renal transplantation. The 24 hour urine protein level in the gene mutation group was significantly higher than that in the non-mutation group [195. 4 (166. 0,262. 4)mg/(kg·d)vs. 85. 4 (74. 5,101. 3 ) mg/(kg·d )],and the difference was statistically significant (Z ＝ -3. 674,P ＜ 0. 001 ). Conclusion The main mutation genes of children with SRNS were NPHS2,NPHS1 and so on. FSGS was the main pathological type. Most of them were no remission or ESRD. The higher of the 24 hour urine protein level,the more pos-sibility of genetic mutation.

Objective To analyze the pathologic constitution,repeated renal biopsy,treatment,prognosis and focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS) risk factors of children with steroid-resistant nephrotic syndrome (SRNS).Methods A retrospective analysis was made of 172 SRNS cases of renal biopsy in the Pediatric Nephrology Center,the First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-Sen University from September 1,2006 to August 31,2016.Results The main pathological types of 172 children with SRNS were FSGS in 72 cases (41.9％),minimal change disease (MCD) in 52 cases (30.2％),and mesangial proliferative glomerulonephritis (MsPGN) in 31 cases (18.0％).There were 11 cases (6.4％) with repeated renal biopsy,5 cases of 6 children with MCD changed to FSGS;3 cases of FSGS whose repeated renal biopsy were still FSGS,but the subtype had changed;2 cases of MsPGN changed to FSGS in repeated renal biopsy.Compared to non-FSGS,the age of onset of FSGS was smaller [3.0(1.7,6.0) years old vs.5.8 (3.4,8.9) years old],the plasma albumin of FSGS was lower [18.0 (14.0,22.9) g/L vs.20.0 (15.1,29.1) g/L],the 24 hours urine protein level was higher [136.0(76.0,200.0) mg/(kg · d) vs.93.0(55.3,150.0) mg/(kg · d)],and the differences were all significant(all P ＜ 0.05).Logistic regression analysis showed that the smaller the age(P =0.007),the higher the 24-hour urine protein(P =0.028),the greater the risk of FSGS.The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis showed that the optimal critical value of 24 hour urine protein was 131 mg/(kg · d).The effective rate of Cycloposphamide (CTX) treatment in MCD children (10/12 cases) was higher than that of FSGS (1/5 cases) and MsPGN (1/2 cases),and the differences were statistically significant (all P ＜0.05).There was no significant difference in the curative effect of Tacrolimas (TAC) and Ciclosporin A (CsA) in children with FSGS,MCD and MsPGN (all P ＞ 0.05).In 62 cases of FSGS,25 cases (56.4％) were effective,and 37 cases (84.1％) were effective in 44 cases of MCD,15 cases (60.0％) were effective in 25 cases of MsPGN,and the difference of prognosis between different pathological types was statistically significant (P ＜ 0.05).Conclusions The most common pathological types of children with SRNS are FSGS,MCD,and MsPGN,but the pathological types can be converted to each other.The smaller the age is,the higher the 24-hour urine protein level is,and the greater the risk of FSGS of the pathological type.When the quantity of 24-hours urine protein was more than 131 mg/ (kg · d),it should be alert to the possibility of pathological type of FSGS.In children with MCD,the effective rate of CTX is higher than that of children with FSGS and MsPGN.The prognosis of FSGS is the worst but the prognosis of MCD is better.

Objective To investigate the clinical, pathological features and risk factors of hyperuricemia in children with IgA nephropathy (IgAN). Methods A retrospective study of 269 primary IgAN children diagnosed between January 1, 2006 to December 31, 2017 at the Children Kidney Disease Center, the First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, was performed in the hyperuricemia group (uric acid>350 μmol/L) and the normal uric acid group. The clinical and pathological characteristics were analyzed, and the risk factors of hyperuricemia were analyzed by using multivariate logistic regression analysis. Results There were 185 males and 84 females in the 269 IgAN children with age of (9.2 ± 3.1) years old, among whom there were 70 patients (26.0％) accompanied by hyperuricemia. Clinical indicators such as hypertension, urea nitrogen, serum creatinine, blood lipids, urinary protein in hyperuricemia group were higher than those in normal uric acid group (all P<0.05), while estimated glomerular filtration rate, serum total protein and albumin were less (all P<0.05). There were 58 patients (23.0％) and 12 patients (70.5％) associated with hyperuricemia among IgAN children with CKD 1-2 and CKD 3-5. The proportion of hyperuricemia in CKD stage 3-5 IgAN children was statistically higher than that in normal uric acid group (P<0.01). The hyperuricemia group had a higher proportion of Lee IV and V grade, and a lower proportion of the Lee III grade than the normal uric acid group (all P<0.05). According to the Oxford pathological classification score, there was no significant difference in total scores of renal lesions, glomerular score, and tubulointerstitial score between the two groups (all P>0.05). According to the Katafuchi semi-quantitative score, there was no significant difference in the total scores of renal lesions, glomeruli, and tubulointerstitial scores (all P>0.05), while the hyperuricemia group had higher renal vascular scores than the normal uric acid group (P<0.01). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that hypertension (OR=12.596, 95％CI 1.778-89.243, P=0.011), higher total cholesterol (OR=1.192, 95％CI 1.064-1.336, P=0.002), higher urea nitrogen (OR=1.273, 95％CI 1.104-1.468, P=0.001), proteinuria 3+(OR=1.875, 95％CI 1.309-2.684, P=0.001), proteinuria 4+(OR=1.627, 95％CI 1.241-2.134, P<0.001) and CKD stage 3 (OR=3.355, 95％CI 1.376-8.181, P=0.008) were the risk factors of hyperuricemia in children with IgAN. Conclusions Twenty-six percent IgAN children patients are accompanied by hyperuricemia, and their clinical parameters and pathological changes are more severe than those in normal uric acid group. Hypertension, higher total cholesterol, higher urea nitrogen, proteinuria 3+/4+and CKD stage 3 are the risk factors of hyperuricemia in children with IgAN.