Objective:This study aimed to introduce droplet digital PCR (ddPCR) for monitoring Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infection after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (alloHSCT) in children and assess its viability as a complementary detection method in clinical settings.Methods:A total of 290 blood samples from 47 children undergoing alloHSCT were collected. Both ddPCR and real-time quantitative PCR (qPCR) were employed to detect EBV DNA load in plasma, with a comparison of detection efficiencies between the two methods. Continuous monitoring of 39 children was conducted to observe dynamic changes in EBV DNA load in plasma and analyze the merits and drawbacks of both methods.Results:The EBV positive detection rate of ddPCR was significantly higher than that of qPCR ( χ2=20.25, P<0.001), particularly in samples with low viral loads. Among the children monitored continuously for EBV DNA, 14 out of 39 exhibited positive ddPCR result. Notably, in two cases where patients displayed rash and fever symptoms with positive ddPCR result but negative qPCR result, ddPCR demonstrated heightened sensitivity in early EBV infection detection. Conclusions:ddPCR holds certain advantages in monitoring EBV infection post-alloHSCT in children, especially for samples with low viral loads. However, as this method is still in the exploratory stage of clinical application, further research and practice are needed to validate its utility.

To investigate the clinical efficacy and safety of dupilumab in the treatment of moderate to severe atopic dermatitis (AD) in China. A small sample self-controlled study before and after treatment was conducted to retrospective analysis patients with moderate to severe AD treated with dupilumab in the department of dermatology of the First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University from July 2020 to March 2022. Dupilumab 600 mg was injected subcutaneously at week 0, and then 300 mg was injected subcutaneously every 2 weeks. The condition was evaluated by SCORAD(severity scoring of atopic dermatitis), NRS(numerical rating scale), DLQI(dermatology life quality index) and POEM(patient-oriented eczema measure). The improvement of SCORAD, NRS, DLQI and POEM was analyzed by paired t test and non-parametric paired Wilcoxon. The results showed that a total of 67 patients with moderate to severe AD received dupilumab treatment, of which 41 patients (the course of treatment was more than 6 weeks) had reduced the severity of skin lesions, improved quality of life and reduced pruritus. A total of 23 patients completed 16 weeks of treatment. At 4, 8, 12 and 16 weeks, SCORAD, NRS, DLQI and POEM decreased compared with the baseline, and the differences were statistically significant. SCORAD (50.13±15.19) at baseline, SCORAD (36.08±11.96)(t=6.049,P<0.001) at week 4,SCORAD (28.04±11.10)(t=10.471,P<0.001) at week 8, SCORAD (22.93±9.72)(t=12.428,P<0.001) at week 12, SCORAD (16.84±7.82)(t=14.609,P<0.001) at week 16, NRS 7(6,8) at baseline, NRS 4(3,5)(Z=-3.861,P<0.001) at week 4, NRS 2(1,4)(Z=-4.088,P<0.001) at week 8, NRS 1(0,2)(Z=-4.206,P<0.001) at week 12, NRS 2(0,2)(Z=-4.222,P<0.001) at week 16, DLQI (13.83±5.71) at baseline, DLQI (8.00±4.02)(t=6.325,P<0.001) at week 4, DLQI (5.61±3.50)(t=8.060,P<0.001) at week 8, DLQI (3.96±1.99)(t=8.717,P<0.001) at week 12, DLQI (2.70±1.89)(t=10.355,P<0.001) at week 16, POEM (18.04±6.41) at baseline, POEM (9.70±4.70)(t=7.031,P<0.001) at week 4, POEM (7.74±3.48)(t=8.806,P<0.001) at week 8, POEM (6.35±3.33)(t=10.474,P<0.001) at week 12, POEM (4.26±2.51)(t=11.996,P<0.001) at week 16. In the 16th week, 100%(23 patients), 91.3%(21 patients), 34.8%(8 patients) and 8.7%(2 patients) of 23 patients reached SCORAD30, SCORAD50, SCORAD70, and SCORAD90 statuses, respectively. There were 82.6%(19 patients), 95.7%(22 patients) and 95.7%(22 patients) of 23 patients with NRS, DLQI and POEM improved by≥4 points compared with baseline. Twelve patients with AD who continued to receive dupilumab after 16 weeks showed further improvement in skin lesions. The adverse events were conjunctivitis and injection site reaction. In conclusion, dupilumab is an effective and safe treatment for moderate and severe AD. However, the longer-term efficacy and safety require further studies involving larger sample sizes and a longer follow-up time.
Humans ; Dermatitis, Atopic/drug therapy* ; Quality of Life ; Retrospective Studies ; Severity of Illness Index ; Treatment Outcome

To investigate the clinical efficacy and safety of dupilumab in the treatment of moderate to severe atopic dermatitis (AD) in China. A small sample self-controlled study before and after treatment was conducted to retrospective analysis patients with moderate to severe AD treated with dupilumab in the department of dermatology of the First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University from July 2020 to March 2022. Dupilumab 600 mg was injected subcutaneously at week 0, and then 300 mg was injected subcutaneously every 2 weeks. The condition was evaluated by SCORAD(severity scoring of atopic dermatitis), NRS(numerical rating scale), DLQI(dermatology life quality index) and POEM(patient-oriented eczema measure). The improvement of SCORAD, NRS, DLQI and POEM was analyzed by paired t test and non-parametric paired Wilcoxon. The results showed that a total of 67 patients with moderate to severe AD received dupilumab treatment, of which 41 patients (the course of treatment was more than 6 weeks) had reduced the severity of skin lesions, improved quality of life and reduced pruritus. A total of 23 patients completed 16 weeks of treatment. At 4, 8, 12 and 16 weeks, SCORAD, NRS, DLQI and POEM decreased compared with the baseline, and the differences were statistically significant. SCORAD (50.13±15.19) at baseline, SCORAD (36.08±11.96)(t=6.049,P<0.001) at week 4,SCORAD (28.04±11.10)(t=10.471,P<0.001) at week 8, SCORAD (22.93±9.72)(t=12.428,P<0.001) at week 12, SCORAD (16.84±7.82)(t=14.609,P<0.001) at week 16, NRS 7(6,8) at baseline, NRS 4(3,5)(Z=-3.861,P<0.001) at week 4, NRS 2(1,4)(Z=-4.088,P<0.001) at week 8, NRS 1(0,2)(Z=-4.206,P<0.001) at week 12, NRS 2(0,2)(Z=-4.222,P<0.001) at week 16, DLQI (13.83±5.71) at baseline, DLQI (8.00±4.02)(t=6.325,P<0.001) at week 4, DLQI (5.61±3.50)(t=8.060,P<0.001) at week 8, DLQI (3.96±1.99)(t=8.717,P<0.001) at week 12, DLQI (2.70±1.89)(t=10.355,P<0.001) at week 16, POEM (18.04±6.41) at baseline, POEM (9.70±4.70)(t=7.031,P<0.001) at week 4, POEM (7.74±3.48)(t=8.806,P<0.001) at week 8, POEM (6.35±3.33)(t=10.474,P<0.001) at week 12, POEM (4.26±2.51)(t=11.996,P<0.001) at week 16. In the 16th week, 100%(23 patients), 91.3%(21 patients), 34.8%(8 patients) and 8.7%(2 patients) of 23 patients reached SCORAD30, SCORAD50, SCORAD70, and SCORAD90 statuses, respectively. There were 82.6%(19 patients), 95.7%(22 patients) and 95.7%(22 patients) of 23 patients with NRS, DLQI and POEM improved by≥4 points compared with baseline. Twelve patients with AD who continued to receive dupilumab after 16 weeks showed further improvement in skin lesions. The adverse events were conjunctivitis and injection site reaction. In conclusion, dupilumab is an effective and safe treatment for moderate and severe AD. However, the longer-term efficacy and safety require further studies involving larger sample sizes and a longer follow-up time.
Humans ; Dermatitis, Atopic/drug therapy* ; Quality of Life ; Retrospective Studies ; Severity of Illness Index ; Treatment Outcome

The advantages of local administration are as follow: release drugs directly at the lesion, increase the drug concentration in lesion location and reduce the side effects of systemic administration. Thermosensitive gel is one of typical local administration agents. It exhibits the different physical characteristics with the change of temperature. It is sol-gel at low temperature or storage temperature, while when the temperature rises to the transition temperature or near the body temperature, it is semisolid gel with a certain viscoelasticity, and can recover rapidly. It can enhance the local adhesion, which prolongs the local retention time of drugs. As a result, thermosensitive gel can control and display the release of drugs, which can significantly improve the bioavailability of drugs. This review summarizes the characteristics of thermosensitive gel, thermosensitive materials, and its application in different parts: nasal cavity, eye, vagina, periodontal, skin, tumor and joint cavity, based on clinical needs.

Objective: To analyze the course of disease and epidemiological parameters of COVID-19 and provide evidence for making prevention and control strategies. Methods: To display the distribution of course of disease of the infectors who had close contacts with COVID-19 cases from January 1 to March 15, 2020 in Guangdong Provincial, the models of Lognormal, Weibull and gamma distribution were applied. A descriptive analysis was conducted on the basic characteristics and epidemiological parameters of course of disease. Results: In total, 515 of 11 580 close contacts were infected, with an attack rate about 4.4%, including 449 confirmed cases and 66 asymptomatic cases. Lognormal distribution was fitting best for latent period, incubation period, pre-symptomatic infection period of confirmed cases and infection period of asymptomatic cases; Gamma distribution was fitting best for infectious period and clinical symptom period of confirmed cases; Weibull distribution was fitting best for latent period of asymptomatic cases. The latent period, incubation period, pre-symptomatic infection period, infectious period and clinical symptoms period of confirmed cases were 4.50 (95%CI:3.86-5.13) days, 5.12 (95%CI:4.63-5.62) days, 0.87 (95%CI:0.67-1.07) days, 11.89 (95%CI:9.81-13.98) days and 22.00 (95%CI:21.24-22.77) days, respectively. The latent period and infectious period of asymptomatic cases were 8.88 (95%CI:6.89-10.86) days and 6.18 (95%CI:1.89-10.47) days, respectively. Conclusion: The estimated course of COVID-19 and related epidemiological parameters are similar to the existing data.
COVID-19 ; Cohort Studies ; Contact Tracing ; Humans ; Incidence ; Prospective Studies

Carcinoma, Endometrioid/pathology* ; Carcinoma, Neuroendocrine/surgery* ; Carcinoma, Small Cell/surgery* ; Endometrial Neoplasms/pathology* ; Female ; Humans ; Ovarian Neoplasms/surgery* ; Uterus/pathology*

Ulcerative colitis (UC) is a chronic non-specific inflammatory bowel disease, listed as a modern refractory disease by the World Health Organization, which is difficult to recover, whereas it is easy to be attacked repeatedly. UC pathogenesis is closely related to gut microbiota dysbiosis. The gut microbiota interacts with bile acids (BAs), short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), tryptophan, and other metabolism, immune system, intestinal barrier, etc., which regulate each other and affect the occurrence and development of UC. The active ingredients of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), single herb and its extracts, and formulae can effectively alleviate UC symptoms by regulating the diversity, structure, composition, and metabolites of gut microbiota. In this review, the TCM based on the regulation of gut microbiota in the treatment of UC and its related mechanism for nearly three years was summarized.

Astragali Radix is one of traditional Chinese medicines with effects in invigorating Qi for consolidating superficies, inducing diuresis to alleviate edema, promoting pus discharge and tissue regeneration. In recent years, the traditional Chinese medicine fermentation technology has received extensive attentions due to its high efficiency and safety. The pharmacological functions of traditional Chinese medicines could be further enhanced after microbial fermentation, which has a broad development prospects. In this paper, we summarized relevant literatures of Astragali Radix fermentation in such aspects as fermentation strains, fermentation forms, process optimization, active ingredients and pharmacological effects, in the expectation of providing a reference for development and utilization of Astragali Radix.
Astragalus Plant ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; Fermentation ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Plant Roots

Objective:To evaluate macular microvessel changes in familial exudative vitreoretinopathy (FEVR) by optical coherence tomography angiography.Methods:Cross-sectional clinical case-control study. From November 2019 to November 2020, 21 FEVR patients (41 eyes) from Weifang Eye Hospital were selected; 17 healthy volunteers (28 eyes) with the same age and gender as FEVR group were selected as normal control group. According to the best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) 1.0 and <1.0, FEVR group was divided into normal visual acuity group (27 eyes) and visual acuity decreased group (14 eyes). All enrollees received BCVA and OCTA. BCVA was performed with an international standard visual acuity chart, which was converted to logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution (logMAR) vision. The OCTA instrument was used to scan the macular area of all the examined eyes in the range of 3 mm×3 mm, 6 mm×6 mm, and the blood vessel density (VD) and blood perfusion density (PD) within the range of 3 mm×3 mm, 6 mm×6 mm were measured and the area, circumference, and morphological index of the foveal avascular zone (FAZ) within the range of 6 mm×6 mm. Quantitative data were compared between groups by independent sample t test. Statistical data were compared by χ 2 test. The area under curve (AUC) of each index was determined according to receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC curve), and the predictive value of each index was evaluated. Results:In the macular area of 6 mm×6 mm, VD, PD, FAZ area and FAZ perimeter of FEVR group were all lower than those of normal control group, and the differences were statistically significant ( t=-3.350, -2.387, -3.519, -3.029; P<0.05). In macular area of 3 mm×3 mm and 6 mm×6 mm, compared with normal vision group and vision loss group, both VD and PD decreased. The differences were statistically significant ( t=2.088, 2.114, 2.160, 2.545; P<0.05). In the macular area of 6 mm×6 mm , the FAZ morphological index of the two groups was significantly different ( t=2.409, P<0.05). ROC curve analysis showed that all the indicators had low diagnostic value for FEVR (AUC<0.5). Conclusion:There are microvascular abnormalities in macular area in FEVR patients, and the decrease of blood vessels and the change of FAZ shape may be related to the loss of visual acuity.