Objective:To understand and compare the clinical characteristics of children and adults infected with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) Omicron variant BA.5 and BA.2 subtypes in Shanghai City.Methods:The clinical data of 524 children hospitalized with coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19) at the Children′s Hospital of Fudan University during the period of BA.5 predominance from December 1, 2022 to January 20, 2023 were collected, which included age, gender, clinical symptoms and laboratory examination results. And the clinical data of household close contacts were also collected. The clinical data of children and their household contacts infected with Omicron BA.2 subtypes during the period of BA.2 predominance from April 4 to April 30, 2022 were collected and compared.The clinical characteristic of critical and non-critical cases, child and adult cases during the period of BA.5 predominance were compared.Statistical analyses were conducted using independent samples t-test, Mann-Whitney U test, chi-square test or Fisher′s exact test. Results:The age of 524 hospitalized children was five days to 16 years old. Among them, 301(57.4%) were male and 223(42.6%) were female. Additionally, there were 29 critical cases (5.5%) and 495 non-critical cases (94.5%). Critical cases had significantly higher fever peak, more shortness of breath occurrence, more pneumonia and underlying diseases compared to non-critical cases, with statistically significant differences ( t=12.06, χ2=34.90, 10.04 and 31.10, respectively, all P<0.05). Regarding laboratory examinations, critical cases exhibited significantly higher frequencies of decreased lymphocyte count, elevated levels of C-reactive protein, procalcitonin and interleukin-6, abnormal liver function and kidney function, and abnormal creatine kinase isoenzyme compared to non-critical cases, with statistically significant differences ( χ2=8.18, Z=-4.61, Z=-4.28, Z=-5.13, χ2 =195.90, Fisher′s exact test and χ2=136.13, respectively, all P<0.05). Non-critical children cases infected with Omicron variant BA.5 subtype exhibited a higher proportion of symptomatic infections compared to adults. Among children, the occurrence rates of fever and gastrointestinal symptoms (nausea, vomiting, diarrhea) were higher, whereas among adults, the occurrence rate of cough was higher. The differences were statistically significant ( χ2=11.16, 11.83, 8.50 and 28.14, respectively, all P<0.05).From December 1, 2022 to January 20, 2023, a total of 588 children cases and 791 adult cases were collected, while from April 4 to April 30, 2022, a total of 355 children cases and 755 adult cases were collected.In the children group, the occurrence rates of cough, convulsions and critical cases were higher in BA.5 subtype-infected children compared to those infected with the BA.2 subtype, with statistically significant differences ( χ2=37.95, 40.78 and 15.54, respectively, all P<0.001).In the adult group, BA.5 subtype-infected individuals had higher fever peak, longer duration of fever, and higher occurrence of fever, cough and gastrointestinal symptoms, compared to those infected with the BA.2 subtype.The differences were statistically significant ( t=-4.40, Z=-9.64, χ2=47.29, 124.09 and 29.90, respectively, all P<0.001). Conclusions:During the peak periods of BA.5 subtype of the Omicron variant in Shanghai City, critical cases have severe systemic symptoms and a higher prevalence of underlying diseases compared to non-critical cases. Among non-critical cases infected with BA.5 subtype, the proportion of symptomatic infections in children is higher than adults, with fever and gastrointestinal symptoms more common than adults, while cough symptoms are more common seen in adults.The occurrence rate of convulsions and critical cases is higher in children infected with variant BA.5 subtype compared to those infected with BA.2 subtype.The systemic symptoms are more severe in adults infected with BA.5 subtype compared to those infected with BA.2 subtype.

Objective:To evaluate the clinical efficacy of allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation（allo-HSCT）in children with severe aplastic anemia（SAA）.Methods:Twenty-seven cases with SAA who had been treated with allo-HSCT from January 2020 to December 2022 were retrospectively analyzed and reviewed.Results:（1）A total of 27 SAA patients were enrolled，including 18 males and 9 females，with a median age of 8 (2-15) years.There were 20 cases of SAA-Ⅰ type,7 cases of SAA-Ⅱ type.Based upon donor sources，three cases of matched sibling donors hematopoietic stem cell transplantation,and 24 cases of haploidentical hematopoietic stem cell transplantation were adopted.（2）Hematopoietic reconstruction was achieved in all 27 cases.The median implantation time of neutrophils and platelets was 10（9-20）days and 12（7-26）days respectively.The cumulative incidence of acute graft-versus-host disease（GVHD）was 66.67%（18/27）.The incidence of grade Ⅰ-Ⅱ was 55.56%（15/27）and that of grade Ⅲ-Ⅳ was 11.11%（3/27）.The incidence of chronic GVHD was 7.41%（2/27）.Transplant-associated thrombotic microangiopathy (TA-TMA) occurred in 7.41%（2/27）patients,cytomegalovirus viremia in 62.96%（17/27）patients,epstein-barr virus infection in 33.33%（9/27）patients,and 14.81%（4/27）patients progressed to post-transplant lymphoproliferative disorder (PTLD).（3）The median follow-up time was 12 (2-28) months.The overall survival rate was 96.29%.Twenty-six patients survived,and one patient died due to multiple complications of severe acute GVHD,TA-TMA,cytomegalovirus infection,PTLD and secondary epilepsy.Conclusion:Allo-HSCT is an effective therapy for SAA in children.The effective rate of this research is 96.29%.Acute GVHD is still the key to therapy.The incidence rate of acute GVHD is 66.67% in this study.The blood incompatibility of donor and recipient may affect the incidence of GVHD.The intensity of GVHD prevention should be reduced after HLA-matched sibling donor-hematopoietic stem cell transplantation so as to avoid the complications of virus recurrence and PTLD.

Objective:To establish the reference for serum metabolomics profiles among healthy Han adults in China, and explore the variation on metabolomics profiles by geographic regions, sex, and age.Methods:Cross-sectional data and serum samples were obtained from the China National Health Survey. A total of 1 039 male and 1 032 female healthy adults(≥30 years) were included in this study. Serum metabolomics analyses were conducted with ultra-performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry(UPLC-MS). Orthogonal partial least squares discriminant analysis(OPLS-DA) was performed to compare the differences of metabolomics among different region, sex, and age.Results:Significant differences on metabolomics profiles were identified among region, sex, and age. A total of 114 region-related metabolites were spotted, including 53 metabolites that involved in human metabolic pathways, mainly peptides(20 metabolites) and glycerophospholipid metabolism-related(14 metabolites). Fifty-nine metabolites were pinned down to be sex-related, among which cotinine was significant in all 7 provinces. Age-related metabolites were only found in Shaanxi and Hainan, with 22 metabolites were recognized.Conclusion:Serum metabolomics varies by geographic regions, sex, and age. When metabolomics is applied for diagnosis or biomarker screening in various studies, it shall take into consideration of setting tailored references.

Objective:To analyze the clinical characteristics and prognosis of pregnant women with hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS).Methods:A total of 11 pregnant women with HFRS admitted to The Second Affiliated Hospital of Xi′an Jiaotong University (four cases), The Second Affiliated Hospital of Air Force Medical University (four cases), The First Affiliated Hospital of Xi′an Jiaotong University (one case) and Central Hospital of Xianyang City (two cases) between November 2009 and February 2019 were included as the study group, and 24 age-matched non-pregnant women with HFRS were selected as the control group. The age, complications, clinical classification and laboratory indexes of the two groups were analyzed retrospectively, and the clinical outcomes of pregnant women and their fetuses in the study group were followed up. The data between two groups were compared using Mann-Whitney U test or chi-square test. Results:Patients in the study and control groups were 29 (22, 33) and 32 (24, 37) years old, respectively. Seven of 11 patients in study group were severe and critical cases, which was significantly higher than that in the control group (16.7%(4/24), χ2=7.722, P=0.015). In the study group, 10 patients had hypervolemic syndrome, 10 patients had pulmonary edema and six patients had overlapping hypotension shock phase and oliguria phase, which were all higher than those in the control group ((2/24, 8.3%), (2/24, 8.3%) and (2/24, 8.3%), respectively; χ2=22.828, 22.828 and 9.135, respectively, all P<0.01). Compared with the control group, the pregnant patients in study group had a higher urea nitrogen maximum and serum creatinine maximum, and the differences were both statistically significant ( Z=-2.453 and -2.336, respectively, both P<0.05), while they had a lower serum albumin minimum, hemoglobin maximum and hemoglobin minimum, and the differences were all statistically significant ( Z=-3.742, -3.350 and -4.034, respectively, all P<0.01). All pregnant women with HFRS recovered. Nine pregnant women gave birth to nine healthy infants. All of them received breastfeeding and the feeding duration were more than six months. No abnormal growth and development were found during an average follow-up of three years. Conclusions:Pregnancy can aggravate the severity of HFRS, and pregnant women have higher risk of the multiple stages overlap and the complications such as hypervolemic syndrome and acute pulmonary edema. After recovery from HFRS, mother may carry to full-term pregnancy.

Objective:To describe the clinical features of liver involvement in children and adolescent with 2019-nCoV infection.Methods:The clinical data of 77 hospitalized cases admitted to the Children’s Hospital of Fudan University were collected from January 19 to November 28, 2020. The characteristics and risk factors of abnormal liver chemistries in children with laboratory-confirmed 2019-nCoV infection were analyzed.Results:Of the 77 cases, 44 were male (57.1%) and 33 were female (42.9%), with a median age of 10 years. 27(35.1%) were asymptomatic, 28(36.4%) had mild illness, 22(28.6%)had non-severe pneumonia. Hydroxychloroquine was used in 7 cases. Of the 75 children without underlying diseases, alanine aminotransferase was elevated in 1 case (1.5%, during hydroxychloroquine therapy), aspartate aminotransferase was elevated in 7 cases (10.3%), alkaline phosphatase was elevated in 7 cases (28%), and total bilirubin, direct bilirubin, albumin, international normalized ratio were in normal range. There was no statistical difference between the pneumonia group and the non-pneumonia group in term of liver chemistries ( P > 0.05), same as between the elevated erythrocyte sedimentation rate group and the normal group. There was no aggravation of liver injury in the child with biliary atresia. The child with epilepsy showed no abnormal liver chemistries after infection. Conclusion:Children with 2019-nCoV infection had mild clinical symptoms with few cases of liver injury. The abnormal liver chemistries in children with COVID-19 infection may be related to the underlying disease and the use of antiviral drugs.

Objective:To study the real-world outcome of China FDA-approved Sofosbuvir (SOF)/Velpatasvir (VEL) in Northwest China.Methods:In this multicenter, prospective, real-world cohort study, we recruited patients from 10 sites from Northwest China, who were chronically infected with HCV GTs 1-6 from 06/2018 to 09/2019. Patients received SOF (400mg)/VEL (100mg) for 12 weeks, and with ribavirin 900-1200 mg for GT3 cirrhosis and for any genotype decompensated cirrhosis. The primary endpoint was sustained virological response at 12-weeks post-treatment (SVR12) and safety. The secondary endpoint was the change of liver function after the achievement of SVR12.Results:Totally, 143 patients were enrolled in the study, four patients were lost to follow-up and one died during the follow-up, 138 patients were included in per-protocol analysis. Of the 138 patients, the mean age 53 years, 53.6% male, 94.2% Han nationality, 53.6% liver cirrhosis, 10.1% HBsAg +, 6.5% renal dysfunction, 5.1% treatment-experienced, and 16.7% patients received ribavirin treatment. The genotype distribution was as follows: 35.5% GT1, 42.8% GT2, 15.9% GT3, and 5.8% un-typed. The SVR12 rate was 96.5% (138/143, 95% CI: 93.5%-99.6%) for intention-to-treat analysis, and in per-protocol analysis, all 138 patients obtained SVR12 (100%). Compared with baseline, the serum total bilirubin, ALT and AFP levels decreased (all P < 0.05), as well as increased ALB and platelet count (all P < 0.001) at post-treatment 12-weeks. Overall adverse events (AEs) rate is 29.0%, and the most common AEs were anemia (14.5%) and fatigue (8.0%). Severe side effects (edema and fatigue) occurred in 2 patients, one of whom needed a short-term interruption of treatment due to fatigue. Conclusion:In this real-world cohort study, 12-week SOF/VEL regimen with or without ribavirin achieved high SVR12 rates (96.5%-100% overall) with excellent safety profile among patients with HCV GT1/2/3 infection including patients with GT3 and cirrhosis, and led to improvement of liver function.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the repairing ability of nano-pearl powder bone substitute in rabbit with defect of distal femur bone. METHODS: Thirty-two New Zealand rabbits were randomly divided into four groups: a nano-pearl powder/recombinant human bone morphogenetic protein 2 (rhBMP-2)/hyaluronic acid group, a nano-pearl powder/hyaluronic acid group, a nano-pearl powder group and a blank control group (=8 in each group). A defect with the diameter of 7 mm and height of 10 mm was prepared at the distal femoral metaphysis line of the rabbit.Different bone substitutes were planted, and the effect of repair was evaluated by macroscopic observation, imaging examination, and histopathological examination. RESULTS: The results of imageology showed that: the bone repairing effect in the nano-pearl powder/rhBMP-2/hyaluronic acid group was better than that in the pure pearl powder group and the nano-pearl powder/hyaluronic acid group, and which in the 3 experimental groups was better than that in the blank control group; The results of histology showed that: at the 4th, 8th and 12th weeks after the modeling operation, the speed of bone repair in the nano-pearl powder/rhBMP-2/hyaluronic acid group was faster than that in the pure pearl powder group and the nano-pearl powder/hyaluronic acid group, and which in the blank control group was far slower than that in the 3 experimental groups. The results of immunohistochemistry staining for osteocalcin antibody showed that: the osteogenic effect in the nano-pearl powder/rhBMP-2/hyaluronic acid group was better than that in the pure pearl powder group and the nano-pearl powder/hyaluronic acid group (both <0.05); there was no significant difference between the nano-pearl powder/hyaluronic acid group and the pure pearl powder group (>0.05); however, there was significant difference between the pure pearl powder group and the blank control group (<0.05). According to the staining results of Type I collagen antibody, there was no significant difference in the osteogenic effect between the nano-pearl powder/rhBMP-2/hyaluronic acid group and the nano-pearl powder/hyaluronic acid group (>0.05), but the osteogenic effect in the nano-pearl powder/hyaluronic acid group was better than that in the pure pearl powder group and the blank control group (both <0.05). CONCLUSIONS Nano-pearl powder and its bone substitute can promote the repair of bone defect, and the nano-pearl powder which contains rhBMP-2 has better osteogenic and repairing effect on defect.
Animals ; Bone Morphogenetic Protein 2 ; Bone Substitutes ; Collagen ; Femur ; Humans ; Osteogenesis ; Powders ; Rabbits ; Recombinant Proteins ; Transforming Growth Factor beta

Objective To study the effect of early enteral nutrition ( EN ) on the serum endotoxin and intestinal permeability in patients with severe acute pancreatitis ( SAP ) .Methods Seventy patients with SAP were selected as study objects ,and they were divided into parenteral nutrition ( PN) group and EN group according to the random number table method ,with 35 cases in each group.The PN group was given PN intervention ,while the EN group was given EN intervention .The levels of serum endotoxin and the ratio of the excretion rates of urinary lactulose and mannitol excretion before and after 1 week and 2 weeks of intervention , and the levels of inflammatory factors before and after treatment were measured .Results Before intervention ,the levels of serum endotoxin and the ratio of the excretion rates of urinary lactulose and mannitol excretion had no statistically significant differences between the two groups (t=0.274,P=0.452;t=0.035,P=0.885).After 1 week and 2 weeks of intervention,the levels of serum endotoxin and the ratio of the excretion rates of urinary lactulose and mannitol excretion in the EN group were significantly lower than those in the PN group (t=9.024,10.761,P=0.000,0.000;t=6.935,8.358,P=0.000, 0.000).After treatment,the levels of TNF -α,IL-1β,IL-6 and IL-8 in the EN group were significantly lower than those in the PN group (t=12.674,10.318,9.754,8.307,P=0.000,0.000,0.000,0.002).Conclusion EN has significant influence on the serum endotoxin and intestinal permeability in patients with SAP ,and compared with PN,EN can promote the clearance of serum endotoxin ,reduce the permeability of intestinal mucosa ,and it is worth promoting.

Objective:To explore the guiding role of blood concentration monitoring (TDM) for valproate (VPA) in the treatment of epilepsy,and provide reference for the clinical rational use. Methods:Totally 384 epilepsy patients treated with VPA alone were collected between August 2016 and November 2017 in our hospital. The serum concentrations of VPA were determined by HPLC. The relationship was analyzed between TDM and the efficacy and safety. The correlation between TDM and factors(age, dose,sex and dosage form)was assessed using binary logistic regression. Results:Among the 384 patients,272 (70.83%) ones were with an effective range of blood (50-100 μg·ml-1). The clinical efficacy within the range of effective blood concentration (50-100 μg·ml-1) and that with the plasma concentration above 100 μg·ml-1were both significantly higher than that with the plasma concentration below 50 μg·ml-1(P < 0.01). The incidence of adverse reactions with the range above 100 μg·ml-1was significantly higher than that with the range below 50 μg·ml-1and within the range of 50-100 μg·ml-1. Logistic regression analysis showed that dose and age had significant effect on the blood concentration(P < 0.05). Conclusion:The individual difference of VPA is obvious,therefore,VPA should be used in clinic based on TDM to improve the clinical effect and reduce the adverse reactions.