Objective To evaluate the clinical characteristics of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infected patients with peripheral lung masses (PLMs), and to assess the diagnostic utility of contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) in differentiating benign and malignant PLMs. Methods A retrospective analysis was performed on the clinical data of 69 patients with PLM treated in Shanghai Public Health Clinical Center from January 2020 to December 2023. All patients underwent percutaneous biopsy, and were categorized into benign group (n＝36) and malignant group (n＝33). 25 patients were HIV-positive and 44 patients were HIV-negative. The clinical features and CEUS parameters in patients were compared across these groups. Results Patients with malignant masses were significantly older than those with benign masses (P＜0.05). In the malignant group, HIV-negative patients exhibited significantly larger tumor diameters compared to HIV-positive patients (P＜0.05); in the HIV-positive patients, no significant difference in tumor size was observed between benign and malignant masses. 19 patients underwent CEUS. 10 malignant masses, irrespective of HIV status (10 positive and 9 negative), commonly presented with indistinct margins, delayed enhancement, heterogeneous perfusion, and delayed peak enhancement on CEUS. 9 benign masses showed earlier peak enhancement compared to 10 malignant masses (P＜0.05); no significant differences were observed in the initiation and washout time of enhancement between benign and malignant masses. In HIV-positive patients, 5 benign masses frequently demonstrated discrepancies between CEUS findings and pathological results. Conclusions The clinical and CEUS characteristics were different between benign and malignant PLMs. However, CEUS shows limited accuracy in distinguishing benign and malignant PLMs, underscoring the need for pathological confirmation.

ObjectiveTo analyze the clinical treatment plan and traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） medication rule of children with primary nephrotic syndrome （PNS） in the First Affiliated Hospital of Henan University of Chinese Medicine. MethodsThe gender and age of children firstly diagnosed with nephrotic syndrome in the pediatric nephrology department of the First Affiliated Hospital of Henan University of Chinese Medicine from November 2019 to December 2022 were collected， and the use of immunosuppressive agents and related frequencies were counted. According to the inclusion and exclusion criteria， an independent TCM prescription database for children with nephrotic syndrome was established. Excel was used to analyze the relevant information of the literature. The frequency counting， association rule analysis， and cluster analysis were carried out on TCM in the prescription， and the high-frequent drugs were analyzed. Results（1） General information： A total of 711 children were included， consisting of 522 males （73.42%） and 189 females （26.58%）. The ratio of male to female was about 2.76∶1. The disease mainly occurred in infants and preschool age， and the average age of onset was （4.74 ± 3.48） years old. （2） Clinical treatment plan and use of immunosuppressive agents： Of the 711 children with PNS， 237 were treated with hormone alone （32.33%）， and 474 （66.67%） received immunosuppressive agents combined with hormones. In the initial treatment， hormone combined with Tacrolimus （TAC） was the preferred treatment （32.91%）. For children with refractory PNS who exhibited poor clinical efficacy， Rituximab （RTX） was mostly used for treatment， with a ratio of up to 23.63%. （3） TCM syndrome and medication rule： In PNS syndrome differentiation， Qi and Yin deficiency was identified as the main syndrome. This involved a total of 477 cases， accounting for 67.09%. Yang deficiency of spleen and kidney was observed in 118 cases， accounting for 16.60%. A total of 711 children were included， of which 706 children were treated with TCM. This involved a total of 706 prescriptions， 226 TCM， and 9 793 frequencies. There were 30 herbs used more than 95 times. The top five TCM were Radix et Rhizoma Glycyrrhizae （81.16%）， Radix Astragali （71.81%）， Poria （68.84%）， Rhizoma Atractylodis Macrocephalae （63.60%）， and Fructus Corni （57.37%）. The drug association rules and network diagram showed that the combination of ''Radix Astragali-Rhizoma Atractylodis Macrocephalae-Poria'' was the closest， and five types of combinations were obtained by cluster analysis. ConclusionIn the diagnosis and treatment of PNS in children， TAC combined with hormones shows good clinical efficacy and high safety. For children with refractory PNS， RTX combined with hormones can be used. TCM medication for PNS should follow the basic principles of strengthening the body and vital Qi and make good use of drugs such as Radix Astragali， Poria， Rhizoma Atractylodis Macrocephalae， and cornus to regulate the Yin and Yang balance and achieve better clinical efficacy.

ObjectiveTo analyze the clinical treatment plan and traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） medication rule of children with primary nephrotic syndrome （PNS） in the First Affiliated Hospital of Henan University of Chinese Medicine. MethodsThe gender and age of children firstly diagnosed with nephrotic syndrome in the pediatric nephrology department of the First Affiliated Hospital of Henan University of Chinese Medicine from November 2019 to December 2022 were collected， and the use of immunosuppressive agents and related frequencies were counted. According to the inclusion and exclusion criteria， an independent TCM prescription database for children with nephrotic syndrome was established. Excel was used to analyze the relevant information of the literature. The frequency counting， association rule analysis， and cluster analysis were carried out on TCM in the prescription， and the high-frequent drugs were analyzed. Results（1） General information： A total of 711 children were included， consisting of 522 males （73.42%） and 189 females （26.58%）. The ratio of male to female was about 2.76∶1. The disease mainly occurred in infants and preschool age， and the average age of onset was （4.74 ± 3.48） years old. （2） Clinical treatment plan and use of immunosuppressive agents： Of the 711 children with PNS， 237 were treated with hormone alone （32.33%）， and 474 （66.67%） received immunosuppressive agents combined with hormones. In the initial treatment， hormone combined with Tacrolimus （TAC） was the preferred treatment （32.91%）. For children with refractory PNS who exhibited poor clinical efficacy， Rituximab （RTX） was mostly used for treatment， with a ratio of up to 23.63%. （3） TCM syndrome and medication rule： In PNS syndrome differentiation， Qi and Yin deficiency was identified as the main syndrome. This involved a total of 477 cases， accounting for 67.09%. Yang deficiency of spleen and kidney was observed in 118 cases， accounting for 16.60%. A total of 711 children were included， of which 706 children were treated with TCM. This involved a total of 706 prescriptions， 226 TCM， and 9 793 frequencies. There were 30 herbs used more than 95 times. The top five TCM were Radix et Rhizoma Glycyrrhizae （81.16%）， Radix Astragali （71.81%）， Poria （68.84%）， Rhizoma Atractylodis Macrocephalae （63.60%）， and Fructus Corni （57.37%）. The drug association rules and network diagram showed that the combination of ''Radix Astragali-Rhizoma Atractylodis Macrocephalae-Poria'' was the closest， and five types of combinations were obtained by cluster analysis. ConclusionIn the diagnosis and treatment of PNS in children， TAC combined with hormones shows good clinical efficacy and high safety. For children with refractory PNS， RTX combined with hormones can be used. TCM medication for PNS should follow the basic principles of strengthening the body and vital Qi and make good use of drugs such as Radix Astragali， Poria， Rhizoma Atractylodis Macrocephalae， and cornus to regulate the Yin and Yang balance and achieve better clinical efficacy.

Objectives: Hypoparathyroidism (HP) is a rare endocrine disorder caused by parathyroid hormone (PTH) defi ciency. The PTH is a candidate gene for familial isolated hypoparathyroidism (FIH). This study aimed to investigate the pathogenicity of two novel rare variants (RVs) ofPTH through in vitro functional study. Methods: Targeted next-generation sequencing was used to identify candidate gene mutations. Clinical data were retrospectively collected. Wild-type (WT) PTH was used as a template for site-directed mutagenesis to create mutant eukaryotic expression plasmids, which were transfected into cells. Treated with or without 4-phenylbu tyric acid (4-PBA), the levels of intact PTH (iPTH) and PTH (1-84) were measured by chemiluminescence, and protein expression was assessed using Western blotting. Results: Two patients carrying PTH mutations (c.154G > A: p.Val52Ile, c.270G > T: p.Leu90Phe) were identified.Patient 1, a 45-year-old male, presented with carpal and pedal numbness, muscle cramps, and low serum calcium (1.29 mmol/L). Patient 2, a 12-year-old female, had muscle twitches, convulsions, low calcium (1.50 mmol/L), and iPTH of 4 pg/mL. The iPTH or PTH (1-84) levels in the medium transfected with mutant Val52Ile and Leu90Phe PTH decreased by 31%–38%, and 51%–96% compared to WT (allP < 0.05), which were not rescued by 4-PBA. No significant changes in intracellular PTH expression were observed. Conclusions In this study, two novel RVs of PTH(Val52Ile and Leu90Phe) were identified that may impair hormone synthesis and secretion. Our study has broadened the mutation spectrum of the PTH and shed light on potential mechanisms underlying FIH.

Objective: To investigate the efficacy, safety, and traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) medication patterns of rituximab (RTX) combined with TCM on treating children with steroid-dependent nephrotic syndrome (SDNS). Methods: One hundred and forty-three children with SDNS who visited the Pediatric Nephrology Department of the First Affiliated Hospital of Henan University of Chinese Medicine from January 2018 to December 2022 were enrolled. A cohort study design was adopted, with " RTX treatment" as the exposure factor. Children who met this exposure factor were assigned to the RTX cohort (RTX, glucocorticoid, immunosuppressive agent, combined with traditional Chinese medicine syndrome differentiation treatment), whereas those who did not were assigned to the basic treatment cohort (glucocorticoid, immunosuppressive agent, combined with traditional Chinese medicine syndrome differentiation treatment ), and followed up for 6 months. The frequency of urinary protein recurrences, urinary protein remission duration, proportion and duration of steroid reduction and cessation, cumulative usage of steroids, proportion of recurrence, recurrence amount of steroid used, efficacy of TCM syndrome, and laboratory and safety indicators after treatment, and height and CD19+ B cell count before and after treatment were compared between the two cohorts. The medication patterns of TCM in the two cohorts were analyzed using frequency statistics, association rule analysis, and systematic clustering analysis. Results: Compared with the basic treatment cohort, the RTX cohort showed a decrease in the frequency of urinary protein recurrence, extended sustained remission of urinary protein, an increase in the proportion of steroid reduction and cessation, a shorter duration of steroid reduction and cessation, a decrease in cumulative steroid dosage, a lower recurrence rate, a decrease in CD19+ B cell count, and a decrease in 24-h urinary total protein quantification and the level of cholesterol (P<0.05). No significant difference in the recurrence amount of steroid used, height, TCM syndrome efficacy, albumin, aspartate transaminase, blood urea nitrogen, platelet count, and safety indicators between the two cohorts. Children with SDNS were mostly characterized by qi and yin deficiency syndrome, followed by spleen and kidney yang deficiency syndrome. A total of 175 TCMs were included, including 28 high-frequency drugs such as Huangqi, Fuling, Gancao, Baizhu, Dangshen, and Jiuyurou. The primary use of medication is to nourish the qi and spleen, nourish the kidney, and warm yang. The analysis of association rules yielded eight binary associations and ten three-phase associations, with Huangqi, Baizhu, Fuling, and Dangshen, being the most closely related. Cluster analysis identified four TCM combinations, primarily focusing on tonifying kidney and replenishing essence, benefiting qi and nourishing yin, and removing blood stasis. Conclusion RTX combined with TCM syndrome differentiation treatment can reduce the recurrence frequency of SDNS, prolong the remission period, reduce the glucocorticoid dosage, and have no marked effect on height growth. No apparent adverse reactions were observed. TCM should focus on nourishing qi and yin while removing blood stasis.

Objectives: Hypoparathyroidism (HP) is a rare endocrine disorder caused by parathyroid hormone (PTH) defi ciency. The PTH is a candidate gene for familial isolated hypoparathyroidism (FIH). This study aimed to investigate the pathogenicity of two novel rare variants (RVs) ofPTH through in vitro functional study. Methods: Targeted next-generation sequencing was used to identify candidate gene mutations. Clinical data were retrospectively collected. Wild-type (WT) PTH was used as a template for site-directed mutagenesis to create mutant eukaryotic expression plasmids, which were transfected into cells. Treated with or without 4-phenylbu tyric acid (4-PBA), the levels of intact PTH (iPTH) and PTH (1-84) were measured by chemiluminescence, and protein expression was assessed using Western blotting. Results: Two patients carrying PTH mutations (c.154G > A: p.Val52Ile, c.270G > T: p.Leu90Phe) were identified.Patient 1, a 45-year-old male, presented with carpal and pedal numbness, muscle cramps, and low serum calcium (1.29 mmol/L). Patient 2, a 12-year-old female, had muscle twitches, convulsions, low calcium (1.50 mmol/L), and iPTH of 4 pg/mL. The iPTH or PTH (1-84) levels in the medium transfected with mutant Val52Ile and Leu90Phe PTH decreased by 31%–38%, and 51%–96% compared to WT (allP < 0.05), which were not rescued by 4-PBA. No significant changes in intracellular PTH expression were observed. Conclusions In this study, two novel RVs of PTH(Val52Ile and Leu90Phe) were identified that may impair hormone synthesis and secretion. Our study has broadened the mutation spectrum of the PTH and shed light on potential mechanisms underlying FIH.

Objective: To explore the correlation between traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) constitution and depressive symptom among school aged children and adolescents, so as to provide evidences for informing constitution based regulation and prevention of depressive symptom. Methods: From June to December 2024, a total of 4 729 students aged 6-14 were recruited by cluster random sampling from 10 primary schools in Baoding (Hebei Province), Heze and Liaocheng (Shandong Province). General information, TCM constitution and depressive symptom were collected. Restricted cubic spline (RCS) models were used to analyze related factors and threshold effects of depressive symptom. Binary Logistic regression was applied to examine the association between depressive symptom and TCM constitution, with subgroup analyses conducted. Results: The detection rate of depressive symptom among the included children and adolescents was 25.82%. RCS analyses indicated non linear associations between depressive symptom and age (inflection point at 10 years old), bedtime (inflection point at 22:00), and wake up time (inflection point at 6:30 ) (all P non linearity <0.01). Linear associations were observed with body mass index (BMI) and sleep duration (all P non linearity > 0.05 ). After adjusting for covariates such as age, BMI and sleep status, binary Logistic regression analyses showed that Yin deficient constitution ( OR =1.26, 95% CI =1.09-1.45) and Phlegm-dampness constitution ( OR =1.42, 95% CI =1.11-1.82) were significantly associated with depressive symptom among children and adolescents (all P <0.05). Conclusions Depressive symptom among school aged children and adolescents is primarily associated with Yin deficiency and Phlegm dampness constitutions in TCM constitution. Active attention should be paid to susceptible TCM constitution among children and adolescents. Targeted health guidance and interventions should be implemented to improve TCM constitution health status for preventing the occurrence of depressive symptom.

Ionizing radiation (IR) is a genotoxic agent that can play an important role in the occurrence and development of various diseases by inducing epigenetic changes. Studies have shown that the basic mechanisms of IR-induced epigenetic changes include abnormal DNA methylation, increased oxidative stress levels, changes in histone modifications, and regulation by microRNAs. These can lead to health hazards such as malignant tumors, genetic effects, nervous system damage, circulatory system diseases, and radiation-induced cataracts. This article collected relevant literatures regarding epigenetic changes induced by IR from 2005 to 2024, and reviewed the basic mechanisms of IR-induced epigenetic changes and the associated disease risks, providing the reference for radiation protection in occupational exposure and radiotherapy.

Objectives: Hypoparathyroidism (HP) is a rare endocrine disorder caused by parathyroid hormone (PTH) defi ciency. The PTH is a candidate gene for familial isolated hypoparathyroidism (FIH). This study aimed to investigate the pathogenicity of two novel rare variants (RVs) ofPTH through in vitro functional study. Methods: Targeted next-generation sequencing was used to identify candidate gene mutations. Clinical data were retrospectively collected. Wild-type (WT) PTH was used as a template for site-directed mutagenesis to create mutant eukaryotic expression plasmids, which were transfected into cells. Treated with or without 4-phenylbu tyric acid (4-PBA), the levels of intact PTH (iPTH) and PTH (1-84) were measured by chemiluminescence, and protein expression was assessed using Western blotting. Results: Two patients carrying PTH mutations (c.154G > A: p.Val52Ile, c.270G > T: p.Leu90Phe) were identified.Patient 1, a 45-year-old male, presented with carpal and pedal numbness, muscle cramps, and low serum calcium (1.29 mmol/L). Patient 2, a 12-year-old female, had muscle twitches, convulsions, low calcium (1.50 mmol/L), and iPTH of 4 pg/mL. The iPTH or PTH (1-84) levels in the medium transfected with mutant Val52Ile and Leu90Phe PTH decreased by 31%–38%, and 51%–96% compared to WT (allP < 0.05), which were not rescued by 4-PBA. No significant changes in intracellular PTH expression were observed. Conclusions In this study, two novel RVs of PTH(Val52Ile and Leu90Phe) were identified that may impair hormone synthesis and secretion. Our study has broadened the mutation spectrum of the PTH and shed light on potential mechanisms underlying FIH.

Objectives: Hypoparathyroidism (HP) is a rare endocrine disorder caused by parathyroid hormone (PTH) defi ciency. The PTH is a candidate gene for familial isolated hypoparathyroidism (FIH). This study aimed to investigate the pathogenicity of two novel rare variants (RVs) ofPTH through in vitro functional study. Methods: Targeted next-generation sequencing was used to identify candidate gene mutations. Clinical data were retrospectively collected. Wild-type (WT) PTH was used as a template for site-directed mutagenesis to create mutant eukaryotic expression plasmids, which were transfected into cells. Treated with or without 4-phenylbu tyric acid (4-PBA), the levels of intact PTH (iPTH) and PTH (1-84) were measured by chemiluminescence, and protein expression was assessed using Western blotting. Results: Two patients carrying PTH mutations (c.154G > A: p.Val52Ile, c.270G > T: p.Leu90Phe) were identified.Patient 1, a 45-year-old male, presented with carpal and pedal numbness, muscle cramps, and low serum calcium (1.29 mmol/L). Patient 2, a 12-year-old female, had muscle twitches, convulsions, low calcium (1.50 mmol/L), and iPTH of 4 pg/mL. The iPTH or PTH (1-84) levels in the medium transfected with mutant Val52Ile and Leu90Phe PTH decreased by 31%–38%, and 51%–96% compared to WT (allP < 0.05), which were not rescued by 4-PBA. No significant changes in intracellular PTH expression were observed. Conclusions In this study, two novel RVs of PTH(Val52Ile and Leu90Phe) were identified that may impair hormone synthesis and secretion. Our study has broadened the mutation spectrum of the PTH and shed light on potential mechanisms underlying FIH.