italic>Anoectochilus roxburghii liquid (spray, a hospital preparation of Wu Mengchao Hepatobiliary Hospital of Fujian Medical University) has shown a good clinical treatment effect during the COVID-19 pandemic, but its material basis and mechanism of action are still unclear. In this study, network pharmacology and molecular docking methods were used to predict the molecular mechanism of A. roxburghii liquid against COVID-19, and pharmacodynamic experiments in vitro were conducted to study the interaction between the current targets with clear preventive and therapeutic effects and the key components of A. roxburghii liquid. UPLC-MS and database were used to compare and analyze the active ingredients in the liquid, and 17 potential active ingredients with good drug-like properties were screened by in vivo pharmacokinetics process in SwissADME database. SwissTargetPrediction and GeneCards were searched to find 93 common targets. Cytoscape 3.8.2 software was used to construct the "component-target" network map, and the Metascape platform was used for gene function annotation and pathway enrichment analysis. It was found that the extract could regulate the positive response to external stimuli, inflammatory response, cytokine production and other biological processes by binding the active ingredients such as isorhamnetin, kaempferol, luteolin, quercetin and apigenin to the common targets (NOS3, MPO, MMP3, etc.), and play an anti-COVID-19 role. In the angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) activity inhibition assay, it was found that the stock solution of A. roxburghii liquid (for spray), and the supernatant after removing polysaccharides (mainly containing flavonoids) could to some extent inhibit the activity of ACE2. Crucially, in the experiment of 2019-nCOV-S pseudovirus infecting HEK-293T-ACE2 cells, we found that A. roxburghii liquid may exert anti-COVID-19 effects by blocking the binding of SARS-CoV-S protein to ACE2.

Objective To explore the value of lipoprotein-associated phospholipase A2(Lp-PLA2)in the diagnostic grading and prog-nostic assessment of pneumonia-associated acute respiratory distress syndrome(p-ARDS).Methods The study was a prospective ob-servational study.Fifty-seven patients with p-ARDS admitted to the ICU ward of Tianjin Hospital from January 2022 to August 2023 were included as the research subjects.Twenty-six pneumonia patients admitted to the general respiratory ward during the same period and 10 healthy individuals undergoing medical examinations were selected as the control group.Their serum samples were collected,and the samples from p-ARDS and pneumonia patients were obtained within 24 hours of admission.The levels of serum Lp-PLA2,in-terleukin 6(IL-6),and IL-8 were detected using the Luminex? multiplex test kit.The baseline data and laboratory test results,inclu-ding routine blood parameters,biochemical markers,C-reactive protein(CRP),procalcitonin(PCT),and D-dimer at admission,were collected from the patients with p-ARDS or pneumonia.The levels of serum Lp-PLA2 were compared by grouping based on clinical diagnosis,severity of ARDS,and clinical outcomes on day 28 after admission.The diagnostic and prognostic value of serum Lp-PLA2 in p-ARDS was evaluated by plotting the receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curve,Spearman correlation analysis,and Logistic regression analysis.Results The levels of serum Lp-PLA2 in the p-ARDS group([233.67±83.49]ng/mL)were significantly higher than that in the pneumonia group([150.86±39.48]ng/mL,P＜0.05),while those in the pneumonia group were significantly higher than that in the healthy control group([150.86±39.48]ng/mL vs[92.07±12.89]ng/mL,P＜0.05).The analysis results of the ROC curve showed that serum Lp-PLA2 had a better ability to distinguish p-ARDS from pneumonia than indicators such as IL-6,IL-8,CRP,and PCT,with an area under the ROC curve(AUCROC)of 0.781(95％CI:0.685-0.878).The diagnostic value of serum Lp-PLA2 combined with D-dimer was higher,with an AUCROC of 0.897(95％CI:0.832-0.963).Subgroup analysis found that as lung inju-ry worsened,the levels of serum Lp-PLA2 increased,and that serum Lp-PLA2 levels were negatively correlated with the PaO2/FiO2 ra-tio in p-ARDS patients(r=-0.549)and positively correlated with the sequential organ failure assessment(SOFA)scores at admission(r=0.412).The levels of serum Lp-PLA2 in the death group of p-ARDS were significantly higher than that in the survival group([314.5±43.1]ng/mL vs[174.9±48.9]ng/mL,P＜0.001).Logistic regression analysis showed that after adjusting for the SOFA score,serum Lp-PLA2 was independently associated with the mortality risk on day 28 after admission(OR=1.099,95％CI:1.026-1.178,P=0.007).Similar results were obtained after adjusting for IL-8 or the PaO2/FiO2 ratio.Conclusion Serum Lp-PLA2 may be used as a biomarker to aid in the diagnostic grading and prognostic assessment of p-ARDS.

Objective To investigate the prognostic value of serum bispecific phosphatase 1(DUSP1)ex-pression level in patients with acute pulmonary thromboembolism(APTE).Methods A total of 112 patients with APTE admitted to the hospital from March 2020 to July 2022 were enrolled as the observation group,and 50 healthy individuals who underwent physical examinations in the hospital during the same period were en-rolled as the control group.The APTE patients were followed up for 6 months after treatment,and were grouped into a good prognosis group(90 cases)and a poor prognosis group(22 cases)based on their progno-sis.The serum DUSP1 relative expression level and pulmonary embolism severity index(PESI)score were compared among the groups before admission.Spearman correlation was applied to analyze the relationship between serum DUSP1 relative expression level and PESI score.Receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curve was applied to analyze the predictive value of serum DUSP1 relative expression level and PESI score on the prognosis of APTE patients.Results Compared with the control group,the serum DUSP1 relative expres-sion level in the observation group was increased(P<0.05).There were statistically significant differences in serum DUSP1 relative expression level and PESI score among patients with different risk levels(P<0.05),the serum DUSP1 relative expression level and PESI score in high-risk APTE patients were higher than those in medium-risk patients(P<0.05),and those in medium-risk patients were higher than those in low-risk pa-tients(P<0.05).Spearman correlation analysis showed that serum DUSP1 relative expression level was posi-tively correlated with PESI score(r=0.561,P<0.05).ROC curve results showed that the area under the curve(AUC)of DUSP1 and PESI score alone for predicting the poor prognosis in APTE patients was 0.789 and 0.867,with sensitivity of 65.8%and 86.8%,specificity of 44.2%and 67.2%,respectively.The AUC of the combination of the two for predicting the poor prognosis in APTE patients was 0.952,with sensitivity and specificity of 92.1%and 75.6%,respectively.Conclusion The serum DUSP1 relative expression level in APTE patients is elevated,and with the aggravation of the disease,the serum DUSP1 relative expression level gradually increases.DUSP1 is an effective indicator for predicting poor prognosis in APTE patients.

Objective:To establish and validate reference intervals of serum vitamin K for healthy children in China.Methods:A cross-sectional study was conducted from January 2020 to May 2023, involving 807 healthy children aged 0 to 14 years, selected by stratified random sampling based on the population distribution of children in eastern, central, western, and northeastern China. Sample collection was carried out in 16 hospitals across 12 provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities. Basic information of the children was collected using a standardized self-design questionnaire. Serum levels of vitamin K 1 and vitamin K 2 (menaquinone-4 (MK-4), menaquinone-7 (MK-7)) were measured using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. The reference intervals was established by direct approach. The children were divided into different groups by age. Inter-group comparisons were conducted using the Kruskal-Wallis non-parametric test, and the reference intervals ( P2.5- P97.5) were determined using non-parametric methods. Screening 40 healthy children for small sample validation based on age groups within the reference range(25 from eastern, 10 from central, and 5 from western regions). Results:The age of the 807 children was 5.00 (2.00, 9.81) years, and 495 (61.3%) were males and 312 (38.7%) females. Reference intervals were established for 795 children, of whom 303 children were aged 1 month to 3 years and 492 were aged 4 to 14 years. The reference intervals for serum vitamin K 1 were 0.09-4.54 μg/L for children aged 1 month to 3 years, and 0.10-1.73 μg/L for 4-14 years. For MK-7, the intervals were 0.07-1.42 μg/L for 1 month to 3 years and 0.19-2.03 μg/L for 4-14 years. The reference intervals for MK-4 in children aged 1 month to 14 years were 0-0.42 μg/L. The measured values of serum vitamin K 1, MK-4, and MK-7 in the validation samples did not exceed the reference limit in more than 2 samples. Conclusion:Reference intervals for vitamin K 1, MK-4, and MK-7 in healthy children aged 1 month to 14 years have been established and validated, and can be used to assess vitamin K nutritional status in children.

  Objective  To investigate the occurrence of chronic postsurgical pain (CPSP) among patients with preoperative COVID-19, and further analyze the risk factors for CPSP.  Methods  This study was a ambispective cohort study, with subjects from a completed cohort study with follow-up. We included the clinical data of the patients with preoperative COVID-19 who underwent surgery at Peking Union Medical College Hospital from December 1, 2022 to February 28, 2023. Follow-up was conducted up to 6 months postoperatively, with the primary outcome being CPSP. Multivariate Logistic regression analysis was used to analyze the correlation between COVID-19-related exposure indicators and CPSP.  Results  A total of 4117 surgical patients were included, all of whom had preoperative COVID-19. Among them, 4002 cases had mild symptoms during the acute phase, 62 cases had severe symptoms, and 53 cases were critically ill. At 6th month postoperatively, 1298 cases (31.53%) had long COVID-19 syndrome, and the incidence of CPSP was 5.59% (95% CI: 4.88%-6.28%). After adjusting for confounding factors including age, gender, comorbidities, anesthesia method, and type of surgery, multivariate Logistic regression analysis revealed that critically ill COVID-19 during the acute phase (aOR=3.35, 95% CI: 1.48-7.62, P < 0.001) and presence of long COVID-19 syndrome postoperatively (aOR=2.50, 95% CI: 1.90-3.29, P < 0.001) were associated with CPSP.  Conclusions  It is clear for the first time that critically ill COVID-19 during the acute phase and the presence of long COVID-19 syndrome postoperatively are the risk factors for CPSP among patients with preoperative COVID-19.

The main chemical components of Allii Macrostemonis Bulbus and components in serum were analyzed and identified rapidly and precisely by ultra-performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry(UPLC-Q-TOF-MS)technique in this study.The compounds were identified based on the relative molecular mass,fragmentation ions,and retention time of chromatographic peaks.A total of 36 kinds of chemical components were identified from Allii Macrostemonis Bulbus,including 28 kinds of saponins,3 kinds of amino acids,2 kinds of flavonoids,one kind of organosulfur compound,one kind of nucleoside,and one kind of hormone-lipid compound.In addition,8 kinds of compounds of Allii Macrostemonis Bulbus were identified from the serum.Based on the intersection compounds of which detected in serum and screened out by TCMSP platform database,by using targeted network pharmacology and molecular docking technology,a"drug-component-target-pathway"association network was constructed.Naringenin,quercetin,macrostemonoside E and 25(R)-26-O-β-D-glucopyranosyl-22-hydroxy-5β-furostan-3-O-β-D-glucopyranosyl(1→2)-β-D-glucopyranoside were screened as the main active constituents of Allii Macrostemonis Bulbus in the treatment of hyperlipidemia.In addition,adenosine 5′-monophosphate-activated protein kinase(AMPK),tumor necrosis factor(TNF),vascular endothelial growth factor A(VEGFA)and matrix metallopeptidase 9(MMP9)were the key action targets for Allii Macrostemonis Bulbus in the treatment of hyperlipidemia.Molecular docking was performed using the main pharmacodynamic components and key action targets.The results indicated that all the four active components showed strongly bound to AMPK.This suggested that the regulation of lipid metabolism might be the key mechanism of Allii Macrostemonis Bulbus in antihyperlipidemic effect.This study provided a data reference for the research on the pharmacodynamic components of Allii Macrostemonis Bulbus,and provided a basis for the improvement of quality standard of Allii Macrostemonis Bulbus.

Objective:To explore the characteristics of SMN1 gene variants and carry out functional verification for two children with Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA). Methods:Two male children with complicated SMA diagnosed at the Children′s Hospital Affiliated to Capital Institute of Pediatrics respectively in July 2021 and April 2022 due to delayed or retrograde motor development were selected as the study subjects. Clinical data of the children were collected. Primary culture of skin fibroblasts was carried out, and peripheral blood samples were collected from both children and their parents. Multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification, combined long-range PCR and nested PCR, and Sanger sequencing were carried out to detect the copy number and variants of the SMN1 gene. Absolute quantitative real-time PCR, Western blotting and immunofluorescence were used to determine the transcriptional level of the SMN gene, expression of the SMN protein, and the number of functional SMN protein complexes (gems body), respectively. This study was approved by Medical Ethics Committee of the Children′s Hospital Affiliated to Capital Institute of Pediatrics (Ethics No. SHERLLM2021009). Results:Child 1, a 1-year-old boy, was clinically diagnosed with type 1 SMA. Child 2, a 2-and-a-half-year-old boy, was clinically diagnosed with type 3 SMA. Both children were found to harbor a paternally derived SMN1 deletion and a maternally derived SMN1 gene variant, namely c. 824G>T (p.Gly275Val) and c. 884A>T (p.*295Leu). Compared with the normal controls and carriers, the levels of full-length SMN1 transcripts in their peripheral blood and skin fibroblast cell lines were significantly decreased ( P<0.05), and the levels of SMN protein normalized to that of β-actin, and the numbers of gems bodies in the primary fibroblast cells were also significantly lower ( P<0.05). Based on the guidelines from the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics, both variants were classified as likely pathogenic (PS3+ PM3+ PM5+ PP3; PS3+ PM3+ PM4+ PP3). Following the diagnosis, both children had received nusinersen treatment. Although their motor function was improved, child 1 still died at the age of 2 due to severe pulmonary infection. The walking ability of child 2 was significantly improved, and his prognosis appeared to be good. Conclusion:Two cases of clinically complicated SMA have been confirmed by genetic testing and experimental studies, which has provided a reference for their accurate treatment.

Objective To investigate the clinical characteristics and prognosis of pneumococcal meningitis(PM),and drug sensitivity of Streptococcus pneumoniae(SP)isolates in Chinese children.Methods A retrospective analysis was conducted on clinical information,laboratory data,and microbiological data of 160 hospitalized children under 15 years old with PM from January 2019 to December 2020 in 33 tertiary hospitals across the country.Results Among the 160 children with PM,there were 103 males and 57 females.The age ranged from 15 days to 15 years,with 109 cases(68.1% )aged 3 months to under 3 years.SP strains were isolated from 95 cases(59.4% )in cerebrospinal fluid cultures and from 57 cases(35.6% )in blood cultures.The positive rates of SP detection by cerebrospinal fluid metagenomic next-generation sequencing and cerebrospinal fluid SP antigen testing were 40% (35/87)and 27% (21/78),respectively.Fifty-five cases(34.4% )had one or more risk factors for purulent meningitis,113 cases(70.6% )had one or more extra-cranial infectious foci,and 18 cases(11.3% )had underlying diseases.The most common clinical symptoms were fever(147 cases,91.9% ),followed by lethargy(98 cases,61.3% )and vomiting(61 cases,38.1% ).Sixty-nine cases(43.1% )experienced intracranial complications during hospitalization,with subdural effusion and/or empyema being the most common complication[43 cases(26.9% )],followed by hydrocephalus in 24 cases(15.0% ),brain abscess in 23 cases(14.4% ),and cerebral hemorrhage in 8 cases(5.0% ).Subdural effusion and/or empyema and hydrocephalus mainly occurred in children under 1 year old,with rates of 91% (39/43)and 83% (20/24),respectively.SP strains exhibited complete sensitivity to vancomycin(100% ,75/75),linezolid(100% ,56/56),and meropenem(100% ,6/6).High sensitivity rates were also observed for levofloxacin(81% ,22/27),moxifloxacin(82% ,14/17),rifampicin(96% ,25/26),and chloramphenicol(91% ,21/23).However,low sensitivity rates were found for penicillin(16% ,11/68)and clindamycin(6% ,1/17),and SP strains were completely resistant to erythromycin(100% ,31/31).The rates of discharge with cure and improvement were 22.5% (36/160)and 66.2% (106/160),respectively,while 18 cases(11.3% )had adverse outcomes.Conclusions Pediatric PM is more common in children aged 3 months to under 3 years.Intracranial complications are more frequently observed in children under 1 year old.Fever is the most common clinical manifestation of PM,and subdural effusion/emphysema and hydrocephalus are the most frequent complications.Non-culture detection methods for cerebrospinal fluid can improve pathogen detection rates.Adverse outcomes can be noted in more than 10% of PM cases.SP strains are high sensitivity to vancomycin,linezolid,meropenem,levofloxacin,moxifloxacin,rifampicin,and chloramphenicol.[Chinese Journal of Contemporary Pediatrics,2024,26(2):131-138]

Objective To study the association of hypercoagulability with urinary protein and renal pathological damage in children with immunoglobulin A vasculitis with nephritis(IgAVN).Methods Based on the results of coagulation function,349 children with IgAVN were divided into a hypercoagulability group consisting of 52 children and a non-hypercoagulability group consisting of 297 children.Urinary protein and renal pathological features were compared between the two groups,and the factors influencing the formation of hypercoagulability in children with IgAVN were analyzed.Results Compared with the non-hypercoagulability group,the hypercoagulability group had significantly higher levels of urinary erythrocyte count,24-hour urinary protein,urinary protein/creatinine,urinary immunoglobulin G/creatinine,and urinary N-acetyl-β-D-glucosaminidase(P<0.05).The hypercoagulability group also had a significantly higher proportion of children with a renal pathological grade of Ⅲ-Ⅳ,diffuse mesangial proliferation,capillary endothelial cell proliferation,or>25％ crescent formation(P<0.05).The multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that capillary endothelial cell proliferation and glomerular crescent formation>25％ were associated with the formation of hypercoagulability in children with IgAVN(P<0.05).Conclusions The renal injury in IgAVN children with hypercoagulability is more severe,with greater than 25％ crescent formation and increased proliferation of glomerular endothelial cells being important contributing factors that exacerbate the hypercoagulable state in IgAVN.[Chinese Journal of Contemporary Pediatrics,2024,26(2):164-168]

To establish a simple,convenient,sensitive,and specific method for rapid detection of Zi-ka virus(ZIKV),the whole genome sequences of ZIKV isolated from different times and regions were analyzed.The specific primers and probes were designed based on the screened target se-quences located in the conserved region of the ZIKV NS5 gene.By combining RT-LAMP isother-mal amplification technology and immunochromatography technology,a reverse transcription loop mediated isothermal amplification nucleic acid and flow visualization strip(RT-LAMP-VF)detec-tion method for ZIKV was established.The results showed that the method had good specificity and sensitivity.When the ratio of inner,outer,and ring primers(FIP∶LF∶F3)was 4∶2∶1,the detection method can specifically detect 102 copies/pL RNA transcripts or 2.15 pfu ZIKV at 61 ℃for 45 minutes,with no cross reaction with other flaviviruses such as Japanese encephalitis virus and classical swine fever virus.Other RNAs in blood tissue samples did not affect the sensitivity and specificity of RT-LAMP-VF,indicating that the method can be applied to clinical practice.The ZIKV RT-LAMP-VF detection method established in this study is easy to perform and does not require special instruments and equipment.It is particularly suitable for the rapid detection of ZIKV in grassroots units,providing technical support and material support for the establishment of on-site rapid detection and early warning and prediction systems for ZIKV disease.