The study aims to observe the effects and explore the mechanisms of Buyang Huanwu Decoction and Astragali Radix-Angelicae Sinensis Radix combination in the treatment of the inflammatory response of mice with atherosclerosis(AS) via the Toll-like receptor 4(TLR4)/myeloid differentiation primary response protein 88(MyD88)/nuclear factor-κB(NF-κB) signaling pathway. Male ApoE~(-/-) mice were randomly assigned into a model group, a Buyang Huanwu Decoction group, an Astragali Radix-Angelicae Sinensis Radix combination group, and an atorvastatin group, and male C57BL/6J mice of the same weeks old were used as the control group. Other groups except the control group were given high-fat diets for 12 weeks to establish the AS model, and drugs were administrated by gavage. Aortic intimal hyperplasia thickness, blood lipid level, plasma inflammatory cytokine levels, M1/M2 macrophage markers, and expression levels of proteins in TLR4/MyD88/NF-κB pathway in the vessel wall were measured to evaluate the effects of drugs on AS lesions and inflammatory responses. The results showed that the AS model was successfully established with the ApoE~(-/-) mice fed with high-fat diets. Compared with the control group, the model group showed elevated plasma total cholesterol(TC), triglyceride(TG), and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol(LDL-c) levels(P<0.05), thickened intima(P<0.01), and increased plasma tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α) and interleukin-6(IL-6) levels(P<0.01). Moreover, the model group showed increased expression of vascular cell adhesion molecule-1(VCAM-1) and inducible nitric oxide synthase(iNOS)(P<0.01), inhibited expression of endothelial nitric oxide synthase(eNOS) and cluster of differentiation 206(CD206)(P<0.01), and up-regulated mRNA and protein levels of TLR4, MyD88, NF-κB inhibitor alpha(IκBα), and NF-κB in the vessel wall(P<0.05). Compared with the model group, Buyang Huanwu Decoction and Astragali Radix-Angelicae Sinensis Radix combination lowered the plasma TC and LDL-c levels(P<0.01), alleviated the intimal hyperplasia(P<0.01), and reduced the plasma TNF-α and IL-6 levels(P<0.05). Moreover, the two interventions promoted the expression of eNOS and CD206(P<0.05), inhibited the expression of VCAM-1 and iNOS(P<0.01), and down-regulated the mRNA and protein levels of TLR4, MyD88, IκBα, and NF-κB(P<0.05) in the vessel wall. This study indicated that Buyang Huanwu Decoction and Astragali Radix-Angelicae Sinensis Radix combination could delay the progression of AS, inhibit the polarization of vascular wall macrophages toward M1 type, and attenuate vascular inflammatory response by inhibiting the activation of TLR4/MyD88/NF-κB signaling pathway in the vascular wall. Astragali Radix and Angelicae Sinensis Radix were the main pharmacological substances in Buyang Huanwu Decoction for alleviating the AS vascular inflammatory response.
Mice ; Male ; Animals ; NF-kappa B/metabolism* ; Toll-Like Receptor 4/metabolism* ; NF-KappaB Inhibitor alpha/metabolism* ; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha/metabolism* ; Interleukin-6/metabolism* ; Myeloid Differentiation Factor 88/metabolism* ; Vascular Cell Adhesion Molecule-1/metabolism* ; Cholesterol, LDL ; Hyperplasia ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; Atherosclerosis/genetics* ; Apolipoproteins E/therapeutic use* ; RNA, Messenger

INTRODUCTION: Multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C) is a rare inflammatory syndrome with multisystem involvement affecting children exposed to COVID-19. This condition is rarely reported in East Asia and was not detected in Singapore until 2021. We present 12 cases of MIS-C diagnosed in KK Women's and Children's Hospital (KKH) from October 2021 to December 2021. METHOD: We conducted an observational study on cases fulfilling the Singapore Ministry of Health criteria for MIS-C from January 2020 to December 2021 in KKH. Medical records were reviewed to obtain information on clinical presentation, disease course, treatment received and outcomes. RESULTS: In the 12 cases detected, the median age was 7.50 years (interquartile range 4.00-9.25); 8 were male. All patients had mucocutaneous symptoms similar to Kawasaki disease. Other commonly involved systems were: haematological (coagulopathy 100%, lymphopaenia 91.70% and thrombocytopaenia 75.00%), gastrointestinal (75.00%) and cardiovascular (83.30%). Six patients (50.00%) had shock and were admitted to the intensive care unit. The majority of patients received treatment within 2 days of hospitalisation with intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIg) and steroids. All survived; the majority had normal echocardiograms and no long-term organ sequelae at 6 months post-discharge. CONCLUSION MIS-C emerged in Singapore as the incidence of COVID-19 in the community increased in 2021. The clinical presentation of our patients is similar to earlier reports, with some significant differences from Kawasaki disease. Multidisciplinary management, timely diagnosis, and early initiation of treatment with IVIg and steroids likely contributed to comparatively good outcomes. Our cases highlight the need for continued awareness of MIS-C among physicians, and surveillance of its incidence, short- and long-term outcomes.
Child ; Humans ; Female ; Male ; COVID-19/epidemiology* ; Mucocutaneous Lymph Node Syndrome ; Immunoglobulins, Intravenous/therapeutic use* ; Aftercare ; Singapore/epidemiology* ; Patient Discharge

Objective: To explore the distribution patterns of cardiometabolic diseases (CMD) in elderly patients with colorectal cancer, and provide a reference for the prevention and treatment of cardiovascular metabolic diseases in these patients. Methods: Clinical data of 3 894 elderly patients with colorectal cancer from January 2008 to March 2018 admitted in the Chinese PLA General Hospital were recruited and the incidence rate of CMD was retrospectively analyzed. The influence factors of elderly patients with colorectal cancer combined with CMD were analyzed by multivariate Logistic regression model. Results: The morbidity rate of CMD in elderly patients with colorectal cancer is 33.4% (1 301/3 894), among them, the morbidity rate of the male was 31.9% (768/2 409), and that of the female was 35.9% (533/1 485). There was not significant difference between these two sex (P=0.074). The morbidity rates of CMD in patients of 65-74 years, 75-84 years and ≥85 years were 30.6% (754/2 462), 37.0% (479/1 294) and 49.3% (68/138), respectively, with significant differences (P<0.001). Multiple Logistic regression analysis revealed that female (OR=1.213, 95%CI: 1.056-1.394), age (75-84 years group: OR=1.344, 95%CI: 1.164-1.552; ≥85 years group: OR=2.345, 95%CI: 1.651-3.331) and body mass index (BMI 18.5-24.9 kg/m(2) group: OR=1.319, 95%CI: 1.065-1.638; ≥25 kg/m(2) group: OR=2.041, 95%CI: 1.627-2.561) were independent risk factors for elderly colorectal cancer patients with CMD. Conclusion: The morbidity rate of CMD in elderly patients with colorectal cancer increases with age and it is urgent to strengthen multidisciplinary cooperation and develop reasonable treatment plans to extend the survival and life quality of these patients.
Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Cardiovascular Diseases ; China/epidemiology* ; Colorectal Neoplasms ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Retrospective Studies ; Risk Factors

Background/Aims: Obstacles exist in facilitating hepatitis C virus (HCV) care cascade. To increase timely and accurate diagnosis, disease awareness and accessibility, in-hospital HCV reflex testing followed by automatic appointments and a late call-back strategy (R.N.A. model) was applied. We aimed to compare the HCV treatment rate of patients treated with this strategy compared to those without. Methods: One hundred and twenty-five anti-HCV seropositive patients who adopted the R.N.A. model in 2020 and another 1,396 controls treated in 2019 were enrolled to compare the gaps in accurate HCV RNA diagnosis to final treatment allocation. Results: The HCV RNA testing rate was significantly higher in patients who received reflex testing than in those without reflex testing (100% vs. 84.8%, P<0.001). When patients were stratified according to the referring outpatient department, a significant improvement in the HCV RNA testing rate was particularly noted in patients from non-hepatology departments (100% vs. 23.3%, P<0.001). The treatment rate in HCV RNA seropositive patients was 83% (83/100) after the adoption of the R.N.A. model, among whom 96.1% and 73.9% of patients were from the hepatology and non-hepatology departments, respectively. Compared to subjects without R.N.A. model application, a significant improvement in the treatment rate was observed for patients from non-hepatology departments (73.9% vs. 27.8%, P=0.001). The application of the R.N.A. model significantly increased the in-hospital HCV treatment uptake from 6.4% to 73.9% for patients from non-hepatology departments (P<0.001). Conclusions The care cascade increased the treatment uptake and set up a model for enhancing in-hospital HCV elimination.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the incidence of severe neonatal hyperbilirubinemia and the management on the treatment and follow-up of this disease in Jiangsu Province, China. METHODS: The neonates with severe hyperbilirubinemia who were admitted to 13 hospitals in Jiangsu Province from January to December, 2018, were enrolled as subjects. A retrospective analysis was performed on their mediacal data and follow-up data. RESULTS: In 2018, 740 neonates with severe hyperbilirubinemia were reported from the 13 hospitals in Jiangsu Province, accounting for 2.70% (740/27 386) of the total number of neonates admitted to the department of neonatology. Among these neonates, 620 (83.8%) had severe hyperbilirubinemia, 106 (14.3%) had extremely severe hyperbilirubinemia, and 14 (1.9%) had hazardous hyperbilirubinemia. Four neonates (0.5%) were diagnosed with acute bilirubin encephalopathy. A total of 484 neonates (65.4%) were readmitted due to severe hyperbilirubinemia after discharge from the delivery institution, with a median age of 7 days, among whom 214 (44.2%) were followed up for jaundice at the outpatient service before readmission, with a median age of 6 days at the first time of outpatient examination. During hospitalization, 211 neonates (28.5%) underwent cranial MRI examinations, among whom 85 (40.3%) had high T1WI signal in the bilateral basal ganglia and the globus pallidus; 238 neonates (32.2%) underwent brainstem auditory evoked potential examinations, among whom 14 (5.9%) passed only at one side and 7 (2.9%) failed at both sides. The 17 neonates with acute bilirubin encephalopathy or hazardous hyperbilirubinemia were followed up. Except one neonate was lost to follow-up, and there were no abnormal neurological symptoms in the other neonates. CONCLUSIONS Neonates with severe hyperbilirubinemia account for a relatively high proportion of the total number of neonates in the department of neonatology. Jaundice monitoring and management after discharge from delivery institutions need to be strengthened. For neonates with severe hyperbilirubinemia, relevant examinations should be carried out more comprehensively during hospitalization and these neonates should be followed up comprehensively and systematically after discharge.
Bilirubin ; China ; Evoked Potentials, Auditory, Brain Stem ; Humans ; Hyperbilirubinemia, Neonatal ; Infant, Newborn ; Retrospective Studies

Objective To explore the factors related to the consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages (SSB) among middle school students in four provinces (municipality) in China.Methods A total of 3 469 middle school students were recruited from the Children health cohort in eight counties within the four provinces (municipality).We collected information regarding demography,lifestyle,and family and school situation as well as the consumption frequency of SSB in the previous week.High SSB consumption was defined as "positive" if the frequency was once a day or more.Mean consumption time was calculated,and then logistic regressions were performed to explore the factors influencing SSB consumption.Results Prevalence of high SSB consumption was 11.18％ among the subjects of the eight counties,and the consumption frequency of SSB was 0.21 times per day.Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that the following factors were associated with high consumption of SSB:higher grade,rural region,male gender,physical exercise,habit of eating snacks,eating out,and fast-food consumption (P＜0.01).Factors influencing high SSB consumption were not completely equal between genders:physical exercise at school was associated with high SSB consumption only in female students (P＜0.01),while higher grade and eating out in the past week were associated with high SSB consumption only in male students (P＜0.05).Conclusion Factors associated with high SSB consumption among middle school students included grade,region,physical exercise at school,snack consumption,eating out,and fast-food consumption.These factors differed between genders.Intervention programs addressing these factors may be beneficial in reducing SSB consumption in middle school students.

BACKGROUNDThe quality of the lateral compartment cartilage is important to preoperative evaluation and prognostic prediction of unicompartmental knee arthroplasty (UKA). Delayed gadolinium-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging of cartilage (dGEMRIC) enables noninvasive assessment of glycosaminoglycan (GAG) content in cartilage. This study aimed to determine the GAG content of the lateral compartment cartilage in knees scheduled to undergo Oxford medial UKA.

METHODSFrom December 2016 to May 2017, twenty patients (20 osteoarthritic knees) conforming to the indications for Oxford medial UKA were included as the osteoarthritis (OA) group, and 20 healthy volunteers (20 knees) paired by sex, knee side, age (±3 years), and body mass index (BMI) (±3 kg/m2) were included as the control group. The GAG contents of the weight-bearing femoral cartilage (wbFC), the posterior non-weight-bearing femoral cartilage (pFC), the lateral femoral cartilage (FC), and tibial cartilage (TC) were detected using dGEMRIC. The dGEMRIC indices (T1Gd) were calculated in the middle three consecutive slices of the lateral compartment. Paired t-tests were used to compare the T1Gd in each region of interest between the OA group and control group.

RESULTSThe average age and BMI in the two groups were similar. In the OA group, T1Gd of FC and TC was 386.7 ± 50.7 ms and 429.6 ± 59.9 ms, respectively. In the control group, T1Gd of FC and TC was 397.5 ± 52.3 ms and 448.6 ± 62.5 ms, respectively. The respective T1Gd of wbFC and pFC was 380.0 ± 47.8 ms and 391.0 ± 66.3 ms in the OA group and 400.3 ± 51.5 ms and 393.6 ± 57.9 ms in the control group. Although the T1Gd of wbFC and TC tended to be lower in the OA group than the control group, there was no significant difference between groups in the T1Gd in any of the analyzed cartilage regions (P value of wbFC, pFC, FC, and TC was 0.236, 0.857, 0.465, and 0.324, respectively).

CONCLUSIONSThe GAG content of the lateral compartment cartilage in knees conforming to indications for Oxford medial UKA is similar with those of age- and BMI-matched participants without OA.

Background:Identification of the proper femoral intramedullary (IM) access point is an important determinant of final implant position in IM-guided total knee arthroplasty (TKA). The aim of this study was to identify the optimal entry point in Chinese participants using a new three-dimensional method.

Methods:A series of computed tomography scans of 44 femurs in Chinese participants from October 2014 to October 2015 were imported into Mimics 17.0 software to identify the optimal entry point. The apex of the intercondylar notch (AIN) was used as the reference bony anatomical landmark to identify the proper entry point to insert the IM rod. The statistical significance was calculated on the basis of a 5% level (P < 0.05) using the Student's t-test.

Results:For the males, the average ideal entry point was 1.49 mm medial and 13.39 mm anterior to the AIN. The values were 1.77 mm medial and 15.29 mm anterior to the AIN in females. A significant difference was present between males and females (13.39 ± 2.46 mm vs. 15.29 ± 3.44 mm, t = 2.124, P = 0.040). When using the recommended location as the entry point for the IM rod, the mean potential error differed significantly from the femoral trochlear groove (the potential error of IM in males in coronal plane: 0.93° ± 0.24° vs. 1.27° ± 0.32°, t = -4.166, P <0.001; the potential error of IM in males in sagittal plane: 1.40° ± 0.42° vs. 2.79° ± 0.70°, t = 7.155, P < 0.001; the potential error of IM in females in coronal plane: 0.73° ± 0.28° vs. 1.15° ± 0.35°, t = 3.940, P < 0.001; and the potential error of IM in females in sagittal plane: 1.48° ± 0.47° vs. 2.76° ± 0.83°, t =5.574, P < 0.001). A significant difference was present between the recommended point and the point 10 mm anterior to the origin of the posterior cruciate ligament (the potential error of IM in males in coronal plane: 0.93° ± 0.24° vs. 1.53° ± 0.43°, t = 5.948, P < 0.001; the potential error of IM in males in sagittal plane: 1.40° ± 0.42° vs. 2.15° ± 0.75°, t = 3.152, P = 0.003; the potential error of IM in females in coronal plane: 0.73° ± 0.28° vs. 1.28° ± 0.42°, t = -4.632, P < 0.001; and the potential error of IM in females in sagittal plane: 1.48° ± 0.47° vs. 2.40° ± 0.93°, t = 3.763, P = 0.001).

ConclusionsThe technique described here is an innovative method for swift, easy, and accurate access to the medullary canal during TKA, and it can optimize the position and orientation of the prosthetic components in knee arthroplasty.

Objective: To evaluate the efficacy of allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT) from different donors as first-line treatment for children and adolescents with severe aplastic anemia (SAA) . Methods: The clinical data of 79 children and adolescents with SAA diagnosed from January 2013 to December 2016 in Henan Province were retrospectively analyzed. There were 50 males and 29 females, with a median age of 14(4-18) years. 40 cases received matched sibling transplantation (MSD-HSCT), 17 with unrelated donor transplantation (UD-HSCT), and 22 with haploidentical transplantation (haplo-HSCT). Results: The comparison of MSD-HSCT, UD-HSCT, haplo-HSCT groups was conducted and the median times of neutrophils engraftment were statistically significant [12(9-25) d, 14(10-22) d, 16(11-26) d, respectively (χ²=13.302, P=0.001)], but no difference in+30 d engraftment rate [97.3%(36/37), 100%(15/15), 100%(20/20), χ²=0.959, P=0.619]. The median times of PLT engraftment were not statistically significant [14(6-34)d, 16(7-32)d, 19(10-34)d, respectively, χ²=5.892, P=0.053], and the +30 d engraftment rate had no difference [97.3%(36/37), 100%(15/15), 100%(20/20), χ²=0.959, P=0.619]. The post-transplant infection rate showed no statistically significance [35.0% (14/40), 29.4% (5/17), 45.5% (10/22), χ²=1.158, P=0.560], as well as the incidences of aGVHD, grade III/IV aGVHD and cGVHD(χ²=0.230, P=0.891; χ²=2.628, P=0.269; χ²=3.187, P=0.203). The two-years OS rate was not statistically significant respectively [(77.1±6.7)%, (70.6±11.1)%, (77.3±8.9)%, χ²=0.330, P=0.845]. Severe post-transplant infection (RR=4.617, P=0.009), grade Ⅲ/Ⅳ aGVHD (RR=2.707, P=0.048) were independent risk factors for OS. Conclusion The overall efficacy of MSD-HSCT, UD-HSCT and haplo-HSCT as first-line therapy for children and adolescents with SAA/VSAA is comparable.

Objective: To evaluate the efficacy of allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT) from different donors as first-line treatment for children and adolescents with severe aplastic anemia (SAA) . Methods: The clinical data of 79 children and adolescents with SAA diagnosed from January 2013 to December 2016 in Henan Province were retrospectively analyzed. There were 50 males and 29 females, with a median age of 14(4-18) years. 40 cases received matched sibling transplantation (MSD-HSCT), 17 with unrelated donor transplantation (UD-HSCT), and 22 with haploidentical transplantation (haplo-HSCT). Results: The comparison of MSD-HSCT, UD-HSCT, haplo-HSCT groups was conducted and the median times of neutrophils engraftment were statistically significant [12(9-25) d, 14(10-22) d, 16(11-26) d, respectively (χ²=13.302, P=0.001)], but no difference in+30 d engraftment rate [97.3%(36/37), 100%(15/15), 100%(20/20), χ²=0.959, P=0.619]. The median times of PLT engraftment were not statistically significant [14(6-34)d, 16(7-32)d, 19(10-34)d, respectively, χ²=5.892, P=0.053], and the +30 d engraftment rate had no difference [97.3%(36/37), 100%(15/15), 100%(20/20), χ²=0.959, P=0.619]. The post-transplant infection rate showed no statistically significance [35.0% (14/40), 29.4% (5/17), 45.5% (10/22), χ²=1.158, P=0.560], as well as the incidences of aGVHD, grade III/IV aGVHD and cGVHD(χ²=0.230, P=0.891; χ²=2.628, P=0.269; χ²=3.187, P=0.203). The two-years OS rate was not statistically significant respectively [(77.1±6.7)%, (70.6±11.1)%, (77.3±8.9)%, χ²=0.330, P=0.845]. Severe post-transplant infection (RR=4.617, P=0.009), grade Ⅲ/Ⅳ aGVHD (RR=2.707, P=0.048) were independent risk factors for OS. Conclusion: The overall efficacy of MSD-HSCT, UD-HSCT and haplo-HSCT as first-line therapy for children and adolescents with SAA/VSAA is comparable.
Adolescent ; Anemia, Aplastic/therapy* ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Female ; Graft vs Host Disease ; Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation ; Humans ; Male ; Retrospective Studies ; Treatment Outcome ; Unrelated Donors