Persistent left superior vena cava is a rare venous variant that is often combined with cardiovascular malformations. In thoracic surgery, especially mediastinal tumor resection, neglect of this variant may make the surgery difficult and risky, and careful preoperative imaging interpretation and adequate preoperative evaluation play an important role in the perioperative safety of the patient. In this paper, we reported a case of a 17-year-old female patient with a persistent left superior vena cava combined with mediastinal tumors. She was successfully discharged 5 days after thoracoscopic surgery, and after 3 years of postoperative follow-up, no tumor recurrence was observed.

Leptospirosis is a global natural zoonotic infectious disease.Research shows that short-chain fatty acids,metabolites of gut microbiota,are involved in host immune regulation and affect disease progression.This experiment was conducted to investigate the role of short-chain fatty acids in leptospirosis.The results showed that supplementation of short-chain fatty acid butyric acid could significantly improve the survival rate of leptospirosis in hamsters.In vitro experiments showed that butyric acid treatment inhibited the expression of Cat and Gsr genes in macrophages after infection with Leptospira,but enhanced the expression of NOX1 and NOX4 genes.At the same time,butyric acid treatment enhanced macrophage ROS levels after leptospirosis infection,and high levels of ROS enhanced the bactericidal function of macrophages.In vivo experiments al-so confirmed that butyric acid protects hamsters against acute leptospirosis by regulating ROS production.Collectively,the short-chain fatty acid butyric acid,a metabolite of gut microbiota,en-hances the bactericidal function of macrophages by regulating ROS expression,thereby protecting the host against leptospirosis.

Objective:To detect the enhancer of zeste 2 polycomb repressive complex 2 subunit ( EZH2) in glioma patients and analyze its value in disease and prognosis evaluation. Methods:Patients with glioma (glioma group, 90 cases) and patients with benign brain diseases (control group, 45 cases) in Beichen District Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine from January 2017 to December 2018 were selected as the research subjects. Methyl-specific PCR was employed to detect the methylation status of the EZH2 gene of the patients in the glioma group (tumor tissue, adjacent normal tissue), the control group (brain tissue), and in glioma cell lines (SHG-44, U251, U87, and CRT). The relationship between EZH2 gene unmethylation and clinicopathological factors was analyzed. The survival difference between the unmethylated and methylated EZH2 gene in tumor tissue of glioma patients was analyzed by Kaplan-Meier survival analysis. Results:The unmethylated rate of the EZH2 gene in the tumor tissue of the glioma group (68.9%) is significantly higher than that of the control group (5.6%) and in the normal tissue adjacent to the tumor (4.4%), and the differences are statistically significant (all P < 0.05). The EZH2 gene of glioma cell lines such as SHG-44, U251, U87, and CRT is unmethylated. There are significant differences in the unmethylated rate of the EZH2 gene in the tumor tissue of the glioma group in terms of intracranial hypertension, maximum tumor diameter, tumor number, and WHO grade (all P < 0.05). The unmethylated rate of the EZH2 gene in patients with intracranial hypertension, tumor maximum diameter ≥ 5 cm, multiple and grade Ⅲ + Ⅳ gliomas is significantly higher than that without intracranial hypertension, tumor maximum diameter < 5 cm, single and grade Ⅰ + Ⅱ gliomas, and the difference is statistically significant (all P < 0.05). The median survival time of EZH2 unmethylated patients is (13.45 ± 3.15) months, and the median survival time of EZH2 methylated patients is (19.45 ± 3.56) months. The median survival time of EZH2 methylated patients is significantly higher than that of unmethylated patients (Logrank = 30.084, P < 0.05). Conclusions:EZH2 is hypomethylated in glioma tumor tissue and can be used as a molecular marker for glioma disease and prognosis assessment

Catalpol,an iridoid glucoside isolated from Rehmannia glutinosa,has gained attention due to its potential use in treating cardio-cerebrovascular diseases(CVDs).This extensive review delves into recent studies on catalpol's protective properties in relation to various CVDs,such as atherosclerosis,myocardial ischemia,infarction,cardiac hypertrophy,and heart failure.The review also explores the compound's anti-oxidant,anti-inflammatory,and anti-apoptotic characteristics,emphasizing the role of vital signaling pathways,including PGC-1a/TERT,PI3K/Akt,AMPK,Nrf2/HO-1,estrogen receptor(ER),Nox4/NF-κB,and GRP78/PERK.The article discusses emerging findings on catalpol's ability to alleviate diabetic cardiovascular complications,thrombosis,and other cardiovascular-related conditions.Although clinical studies specifically addressing catalpol's impact on CVDs are scarce,the compound's established safety and well-tolerated nature suggest that it could be a valuable treatment alternative for CVD patients.Further investigation into catalpol and related iridoid derivatives may unveil new opportunities for devising natural and efficacious CVD therapies.

Objective: To investigate the current status of myopia in children and adolescents in Qamdo, Tibet, and analyze related influencing factors, so as to provide a basis for the prevention and control of adolescents in plateau areas. Methods: A cross sectional study was conducted among 959 children and adolescents randomly selected from one district and two counties in Qamdo (from the fourth grade of elementary school to the second grade of high school) for visual acuity and refraction tests and filled out a vision related behavior questionnaire to analyze the incidence of myopia among adolescents in the region and its associated factors. Results: The myopia rate of adolescents in grades 4-11 was 54.43%, the rate of undercorrection of refractive errors was 85.25%, and the percentage of students wearing eyeglasses was 34.67%,fully vision correction rate was 42.54%. The myopia rate of students in grades 4-6 was 35.14%, 64.71% in grades 7-9, and 73.48% in grades 10-11. The myopia rate increased with grades( χ 2= 101.18 , P <0.01). The myopia rate (70.40%) of urban students (grades 4-9) was higher than that of county level(41.45%), and the myopia rate of students with myopia from either parent (68.24%) was higher than that of students without myopia (51.91%) , the myopia rate of girls (59.96%) was higher than that of boys (48.36%)( χ 2=53.19，13.46，12.98， P <0.01). Use electronic products for more than 2.5 hours per day, electronic devices usage after bedtime, the light low indoor brightness when studying on a sunny day, and only use one of the table lamps or roof lights when studying at night, preference for fried food, poor sleep quality, in the morning the students who still feel tired are at higher risk of myopia( χ 2=10.35, 10.91, 6.87, 4.25, 4.97, 5.71, 12.11, P < 0.05). Multivariate regression analysis showed that the occurrence of myopia was related to region, grade, gender, parental myopia, time spent on electronic products every day in the past 5 months, and sleep quality( P <0.05). Conclusion The high rate of myopia in children and adolescents in Qamdo may be related to the quality of sleep, the length of time electronic products are used, the eye environment, and the frequency of eating fried foods. Outdoor activities do not show significant differences.

Objective:To study the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) activity and its clinical characteristics in patients with hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS). Methods:From January 2016 to August 2017, patients with HFRS who were hospitalized in the First Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University were routinely tested by EBV serology, and were divided into two groups according to their presence or absence of EBV infection, namely EBV active group and non-EBV active group. The clinical data between the two groups were compared and analyzed by SPSS 18.0.Results:A total of 188 HFRS patients were enrolled, including 73 cases in EBV active group and 115 cases in non-EBV active group. The EBV active rate of HFRS patients was 38.83% (73/188). The incidences of lumbago [57.53% (42/73) vs 42.61% (49/115)], abdominal pain [42.47% (31/73) vs 20.00% (23/115)], skin and mucosa congestion [57.53% (42/73) vs 39.13% (45/115)], and conjunctiva edema [50.68% (37/73) vs 28.70% (33/115)] in EBV active group were significantly higher than those in non-EBV active group (χ 2 = 3.983, 11.008, 6.083, 9.239, P < 0.05). There were 10, 7 and 43 patients with acute kidney injury (AKI) stage 1, 2 and 3 in EBV active group and 5, 13 and 53 patients in non-EBV active group. Degree of AKI in EBV active group was higher than that in non-EBV active group, and the difference was statistically significant (χ 2 = 12.615, P < 0.05). In EBV active group, the proportion of patients whose renal function recovery over 15 days [23.29% (17/73)] and white blood cell count [11.26 (3.39 ~ 54.23) × 10 9/L] were significantly higher than those in non-EBV active group [6.96% (8/115), 10.03 (2.91 ~ 66.99) × 10 9/L], and the differences were statistically significant (χ 2 = 10.330, Z = - 2.003, P < 0.05). Conclusion:HFRS patients may cause latent EBV activity, complicate their clinical features, cause severe renal damage and prolong the recovery time of renal function.

Objective:To analyze the epidemiological and clinical characteristics of patients with tsutsugamushi disease in Hainan Province, so as to provide basis for diagnosis, treatment, prevention and control of the disease.Methods:Clinical data of 93 patients with tsutsugamushi disease in the Second Affiliated Hospital of Hainan Medical University from January 2018 to December 2019 were collected. Epidemiological data, clinical manifestations, examination results, treatment and outcome of the patients were retrospectively analyzed.Results:Of totally 93 patients with tsutsugamushi disease, 48 were male and 45 were female, with an average age of 50.73 years old. The peak time of onset was from June to October, with 46 cases (49.46%). Seventy cases (75.27%) were farmers, and 84 cases (90.32%) had a clear history of field work or grassland contact before onset. The clinical manifestations were fever (93/93, 100.00%), eschar or ulcer (42/93, 45.16%), headache (65/93, 69.89%), chills (60/93, 64.52%), rash (35/93, 37.63%), lymphadenopathy (51/93, 54.84%) and fatigue (40/93, 43.01%). Laboratory examination results: eosinophil reduced (74/93, 79.57%), platelet reduced (32/93, 34.41%); alanine aminotransferase, C reactive protein (CRP), procalcitonin (PCT) and erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) were increased in 81.72% (76/93), 97.85% (91/93), 20.43% (19/93) and 72.04% (67/93) of the patients, respectively. Eighty-four cases (90.32%) had abnormal results of chest imaging. All patients were cured by doxycycline.Conclusions:Tsutsugamushi disease is prevalent in summer and autumn in Hainan. It has various clinical manifestations. Doxycycline is an effective treatment drug. It is suggested that the relevant departments should strengthen the training of clinical diagnosis and treatment of tsutsugamushi disease by local clinicians to reduce the misdiagnosis rate.

Objective: Hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) loss is seldom achieved with nucleos(t)ide analog (NA) therapy in chronic hepatitis B patients but may be enhanced by switching to finite pegylated-interferon (Peg-IFN) alfa-2a. We assessed HBsAg loss with 48- and 96-week Peg-IFN alfa-2a in chronic hepatitis B patients with partial response to a previous NA. Methods: Hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg)-positive patients who achieved HBeAg loss and hepatitis B virus DNA < 200 IU/mL with previous adefovir, lamivudine or entecavir treatment were randomized 1:1 to receive Peg-IFN alfa-2a for 48 (n = 153) or 96 weeks (n = 150). The primary endpoint of this study was HBsAg loss at end of treatment. The ClinicalTrials.gov identifier is NCT01464281. Results: At the end of 48 and 96 weeks' treatment, 14.4% (22/153) and 20.7% (31/150) of patients, respectively, who switched from NA to Peg-IFN alfa-2a cleared HBsAg. Rates were similar irrespective of prior NA or baseline HBeAg seroconversion. Among those who cleared HBsAg by the end of 48 and 96 weeks' treatment, 77.8% (14/18) and 71.4% (20/28), respectively, sustained HBsAg loss for a further 48 weeks. Baseline HBsAg < 1 500 IU/mL and week 24 HBsAg < 200 IU/mL were associated with the highest rates of HBsAg loss at the end of both 48- and 96-week treatment (51.4% and 58.7%, respectively). Importantly, extending treatment from 48 to 96 weeks enabled 48.3% (14/29) more patients to achieve HBsAg loss. Conclusion Patients on long-term NA who are unlikely to meet therapeutic goals can achieve high rates of HBsAg loss by switching to Peg-IFN alfa-2a. HBsAg loss rates may be improved for some patients by extending treatment from 48 to 96 weeks, although the differences in our study cohort were not statistically significant. Baseline and on-treatment HBsAg may predict HBsAg loss with Peg-IFN alfa-2a.

Objective To compare the efficacy and safety of simeprevir-based (SMV) or telaprevir-based (TVR) triple therapy [SMV + Pegylated interferon alfa (PegIFNα) and ribavirin (RBV) versus TVR + PegIFNαand RBV] in patients with hepatitis C virus (HCV) genotype 1 infection .Methods A systematic literature searching was conducted in multiple online databases to identify relevant studies .The sustained virologic response rate at 12 (SVR12) and 24 weeks (SVR24) after end of the treatment were used as the efficacy endpoints .The rate of treatment related adverse events (AEs) ,discontinuation due to AEs and overall treatment discontinuation were used as safety endpoints . Patients were divided into multiple subgroups according to the previous treatment history to further compare the efficacy of the two treatment regimen .Statistical analyses were performed using the RevMan 5 .3 software .The Jajad score scale and the Newcastle-Ottawa scale were employed to evaluate the quality of included studies .Results A total of 5 clinical studies including 1666 HCV genotype 1 patients were included in this study .The pooled results showed that SVR12 rates in SMV group and TVR group were 67 .6％ and 68 .3％ , respectively .There was no significant difference in overall SVR12 rate between SMV and TVR groups (OR=0 .95 ,95％ CI:0 .76 -1 .18 , P=0 .65) .There was no significant heterogeneity among studies (P=0 .84 ,I2 = 0％ ) .For SVR24 rate ,the average SVR24 rate in SMV group was 78％ ,which was lower than that in TVR group of 84％ .However ,there was no significant difference in overall SVR24 rate between SMV and TVR groups (OR=0 .71 ,95％ CI:0 .42-1 .20 ,P=0 .20) .Meanwhile ,there was no significant heterogeneity among studies (P= 0 .69 ,I2 = 0％ ) .The subgroup analysis also showed that there was no significant difference in efficacy between SMV and TVR-based triple therapy for treatment-native patients ,prior partial response ,relapse ,and prior null response patients (all P>0 .05) .However , the pooled analysis indicated that both SMV-based and TVR-based triple therapies were most effective for the treatment-naive patients(SMV :85 .7％ ,TVR :85 .6％ ) .For the safety endpoints ,the incidence rate of anemia was significant lower in SMV group compared to TVR group (OR=0 .30 ,P<0 .001) .For the rate of overall treatment discontinuation ,there was no statistically significant difference between SMV and TVR group (OR=0 .48 ,P=0 .12) .Conclusions This meta-analysis suggests that the efficacy of SMV-based triple therapy is non-inferior to TVR-based triple therapy .However ,the SMV-based triple therapy is more tolerable and has a lower incident rate of anemia and discontinuation due to AEs compared to TVR-based triple therapy .

Objective To investigate the characteristics of glycogen storage disease type IV (GSD IV) clinically, in laboratory tests and in gene mutation. Methods The clinical manifestations, biochemical indexes, activity of chitotriosidase, and the follow-up of the treatment in 5 cases of GSD IV were analyzed. Results Five patients (3 boys and 2 girls) aged 4 months - 5 years presented hepatosplenomegaly and elevated liver enzyme levels for 2 months at hospital visit. Two patients had motor developmental delay and weakness but their creatine kinase (CK) level were normal. Glycogen storage and liver fibrosis were observed in the liver biopsy in 4 patients. Target sequencing found that all 5 children carried the complex heterozygous mutation of the GBE1 gene with 2 reported mutations(p.R515C,p.R524Q)and 7 novel mutations.The novel mutation contains 5 missense mutations (p.I460T, p.F76S, p.F538V, p.L650R, p.W455R), one insertion mutations (c.141_142insGCGC), and one large fragment deletion (exon 3-7). Therefore, diagnosis of liver type of GSD IV was confirmed in those children. Two patients died of liver cirrhosis. The liver transplantation was performed due to liver cirrhosis in one patient whose chitotriosidase activity increased obviously before transplantation and decreased significantly after the transplantation and liver enzyme levels were returned to normal 4 months after transplantation. In the other two patients their growth and liver enzyme levels were normal;one had not received special treatments while the other was treated with raw corn starch and level of chitotriosidase was normal. Conclusions The clinical manifestations of GSD IV are heterogeneous. Target sequencing can be used for fast and noninvasive diagnosis of GSD IV. Chitotriosidase activity is useful in the prognosis assessment for GSD IV.