Objective:To analyze the clinical characteristics and prognosis of patients with infant acute lymphoblastic leukemia (IALL).Methods:A retrospective cohort study.Clinical data, treatment and prognosis of 28 cases of IALL who have been treated at Beijing Children′s Hospital, Capital Medical University and Baoding Children′s Hospital from October 2013 to May 2023 were analyzed retrospectively. Based on the results of fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH), all patients were divided into KMT2A gene rearrangement (KMT2A-R) positive group and KMT2A-R negative group. The prognosis of two groups were compared. Kaplan-Meier method and Log-Rank test were used to analyze the survival of the patients.Results:Among 28 cases of IALL, there were 10 males and 18 females, with the onset age of 10.9 (9.4,11.8) months. In terms of immune classification, 25 cases were B-ALL (89%), while the remaining 3 cases were T-ALL (11%). Most infant B-ALL showed pro-B lymphocyte phenotype (16/25,64%). A total of 22 cases (79%) obtained chromosome karyotype results, of which 7 were normal karyotypes, no complex karyotypes and 15 were abnormal karyotypes were found. Among abnormal karyotypes, there were 4 cases of t (9; 11), 2 cases of t (4; 11), 2 cases of t (11; 19), 1 case of t (1; 11) and 6 cases of other abnormal karyotypes. A total of 19 cases (68%) were positive for KMT2A-R detected by FISH. The KMT2A fusion gene was detected by real-time PCR in 16 cases (57%). A total of 24 patients completed standardized induction chemotherapy and were able to undergo efficacy evaluation, 23 cases (96%) achieved complete remission through induction chemotherapy, 4 cases (17%) died of relapse. The 5-year event free survival rate (EFS) was (46±13)%, and the 5-year overall survival rate (OS) was (73±10)%.The survival time was 31.3 (3.3, 62.5) months. There was no significant statistical difference in 5-year EFS ((46±14)% vs. (61±18)%) and 5-year OS ((64±13)% vs. (86±13)%) between the KMT2A-R positive group (15 cases) and the KMT2A-R negative group (9 cases) ( χ2=1.88, 1.47, P=0.170, 0.224). Conclusions:Most IALL patients were accompanied by KMT2A-R. They had poor tolerance to traditional chemotherapy, the relapse rate during treatment was high and the prognosis was poor.

Background::While type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is considered a putative causal risk factor for coronary artery disease (CAD), the intrinsic link underlying T2DM and CAD is not fully understood. We aimed to highlight the importance of integrated care targeting both diseases by investigating the phenotypic and genetic relationships between T2DM and CAD.Methods::We evaluated phenotypic associations using data from the United Kingdom Biobank ( N = 472,050). We investigated genetic relationships by leveraging genomic data conducted in European ancestry for T2DM, with and without adjustment for body mass index (BMI) (T2DM: Ncase/ Ncontrol = 74,124/824,006; T2DM adjusted for BMI [T2DM adjBMI]: Ncase/ Ncontrol = 50,409/523,897) and for CAD ( Ncase/ Ncontrol = 181,522/984,168). We performed additional analyses using genomic data conducted in multiancestry individuals for T2DM ( Ncase/ Ncontrol = 180,834/1,159,055). Results::Observational analysis suggested a bidirectional relationship between T2DM and CAD (T2DM→CAD: hazard ratio [HR] = 2.12, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 2.01–2.24; CAD→T2DM: HR = 1.72, 95% CI: 1.63–1.81). A positive overall genetic correlation between T2DM and CAD was observed ( rg = 0.39, P = 1.43 × 10 -75), which was largely independent of BMI (T2DM adjBMI–CAD: rg = 0.31, P = 1.20 × 10 –36). This was corroborated by six local signals, among which 9p21.3 showed the strongest genetic correlation. Cross-trait meta-analysis replicated 101 previously reported loci and discovered six novel pleiotropic loci. Mendelian randomization analysis supported a bidirectional causal relationship (T2DM→CAD: odds ratio [OR] = 1.13, 95% CI: 1.11-1.16; CAD→T2DM: OR = 1.12, 95% CI: 1.07-1.18), which was confirmed in multiancestry individuals (T2DM→CAD: OR = 1.13, 95% CI: 1.10-1.16; CAD→T2DM: OR = 1.08, 95% CI: 1.04-1.13). This bidirectional relationship was significantly mediated by systolic blood pressure and intake of 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A reductase inhibitors, with mediation proportions of 54.1% (95% CI: 24.9-83.4%) and 90.4% (95% CI: 29.3-151.5%), respectively. Conclusion::Our observational and genetic analyses demonstrated an intrinsic bidirectional relationship between T2DM and CAD and clarified the biological mechanisms underlying this relationship.

Bamboo jar therapy of Zhuang medicine is a combination of cupping therapy,acupuncture and hot compress of medicine,which is simple,convenient and cost-effective.There are differences in the production of bamboo cans(species,acquisition cycle,diameter,tank length,wall thickness),liquid medicine,and operation process among different regions.These three aspects hinder its wide application and promotion.Therefore,it is particularly important to formulate unified practice standards and norms.Based on the combination of literature research and clinical experience,this paper proposes a standardized draft to respond to the above three perspectives.The authors would like to provide a reference for doctors to understand and master this therapy,so that patients can enjoy this therapy.

OBJECTIVE To clarify whether the thera-peutic effect of escitalopram on depression patients is cor-related with traditional Chinese medicine syndrome types,and to provide a basis for more accurate drug applica-tion.METHODS A total of 235 depression patients were recruited and classified according to traditional Chinese medicine syndrome differentiation into 5 types:liver and qi stagnation(45),liver stagnation and fire transformation(43),liver qi stagnation and spleen deficiency(79),heart and spleen deficiency(20),and liver and kidney deficiency(38).All patients were treated with escitalopram(10 mg·d-1)for eight weeks.The Montgomery Depression Rating Scale(MADRS)and the 17 Hamilton Depression Rating Scale(HAMD-17)were used to score before treatment and 2,4,and 8 weeks after treatment,respectively.RESULTS Compared with before treatment,the MADRS and HAMD-17 scores and remission rates of each syn-drome type significantly improved with increasing medica-tion duration.The MADRS score relief rate of liver and kidney deficiency type was the most significant(69.3%),significantly higher than the other four syndrome types(47.5%-52.6%,P<0.05);The remission rate of HAMD-17 score was significantly higher than that of heart and spleen deficiency(50.7%vs.28.5%,P＜0.05).The remis-sion rate of HAMD-17 score in liver and qi stagnation type(52.2%)was significantly higher than that in liver stagnation and spleen deficiency type(37.0%,P＜0.01)and heart spleen deficiency type(28.5%,P＜0.05).CON-CLUSION Escitalopram may have a more significant therapeutic effect on patients with liver and kidney defi-ciency and liver stagnation depression.This study pro-vides a new approach for the more effective and accu-rate application of traditional Chinese medicine syndrome differentiation in the selection of clinical antidepressants.

Objective: To evaluate the value of two oral mucosal contouring methods for predicting acute radiation-induced oral mucositis (A-ROM) in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) patients. Methods: A total of 150 AJCC 7^th stage Ⅱ-IVB NPCs receiving radical tomotherapy (TOMO) in Zhejiang Cancer Hospital from 2017 to 2019 were included in this prospective observational study. Oral cavity contour (OCC) and mucosal surface contour (MSC) were applied to delineate the oral mucosal structure. A-ROM grade was prospectively assessed and recorded weekly according to RTOG scoring criteria. The prediction value of two methods for A-ROM was statistically compared. Results: The incidence rate of ≥3 grade A-ROM was 33.3%. In univariate analysis, V₅, V₁₀, V₁₅, V₄₅, V₅₀, V₅₅, V₆₀, V₆₅ and V₇₀ of OCC and V₅, V₁₀, V₅₀, V₅₅, V₆₀, V₆₅, V₇₀ and D_mean of MSC were significantly correlated with the risk of ≥3 grade A-ROM (all P<0.05). In binary logistic regression analysis, gender and smoking were significantly associated with the incidence of ≥3 grade A-ROM by using OCC (male vs. female: OR=0.141, 95%CI=0.037-0.538, P=0.004; smoking vs.non-smoking: OR=5.109, 95%CI=1.413-18.470, P=0.013). For MSC, gender, smoking, N stage and MSC- V₅₅ were the independent predictors (male vs. female: OR=0.129, 95%CI=0.032-0.519, P=0.004; smoking vs.non-smoking: OR=4.448, 95%CI=1.224-16.164, P=0.023; N stage: OR=2.291, 95%CI=1.268-4.137, P=0.006; MSC-V₅₅: OR=1.432, 95%CI=1.008-2.033, P=0.045). The cutoff value of MSC-V₅₅ was 7.70%, the area under ROC curve was 0.754, the sensitivity and specificity were 0.680 and 0.740, retrospectively (all P<0.001). Conclusions Compared with OCC, MSC yields a higher prediction accuracy for the severity of A-ROM in nasopharyngeal carcinoma patients receiving TOMO treatment.

The recent discovery of circular RNAs (circRNAs) and characterization of their functional roles have opened a new avenue for understanding the biology of genomes. circRNAs have been implicated to play important roles in a variety of biological processes, but their precise functions remain largely elusive. Currently, a few approaches are available for novel circRNA prediction, but almost all these methods are intended for animal genomes. Considering that the major differences between the organization of plant and mammal genomes cannot be neglected, a plant-specific method is needed to enhance the validity of plant circRNA identification. In this study, we present CircPlant, an integrated tool for the exploration of plant circRNAs, potentially acting as competing endogenous RNAs (ceRNAs), and their potential functions. With the incorporation of several unique plant-specific criteria, CircPlant can accurately detect plant circRNAs from high-throughput RNA-seq data. Based on comparison tests on simulated and real RNA-seq datasets from Arabidopsis thaliana and Oryza sativa, we show that CircPlant outperforms all evaluated competing tools in both accuracy and efficiency. CircPlant is freely available at http://bis.zju.edu.cn/circplant.
Arabidopsis/metabolism* ; Oryza/metabolism* ; RNA, Circular/metabolism* ; RNA, Plant/metabolism* ; Sequence Analysis, RNA/methods*

Objective: To observe the changes in nutrition indicators and the effect on chemotherapy complications as well as the safety of enteral nutrition by way of providing enteral nutrition support for children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) at the stage of induction chemotherapy. Methods: From November 2016 to September 2017, 60 children with newly diagnosed ALL at the Hematology Oncology Center of Beijing Children′s Hospital were enrolled in this study.They were randomly divided into an experimental group and a control group, 30 cases for each group.The experimental group was given a high-calorie diet, high-quality protein, and high-medium-chain trigly-ceride enteral nutrition on the basis of a conventional low-fat diet, and the duration lasted the whole induction treatment of ALL children; while the control group was given a low-fat diet routinely.By analyzing relevant indicators before induction chemotherapy (D0), chemotherapy day 15 (D15), and after chemotherapy (D33), the changes in nutritional status and the effect on chemotherapy complications in 2 groups were investigated. Results: There was no significant difference in the body mass index (BMI) and the thickness of triceps skinfold between 2 groups before and after chemotherapy (all P>0.05). The upper arm circumference increased after chemotherapy in the experimental group[before treatment: (15.80±2.63) cm, after treatment: (16.27±2.57) cm], while that of the control group decreased slightly[before chemotherapy: (17.19±3.71) cm, after chemotherapy: (17.15±3.64) cm], and the difference between 2 groups was statistically significant (P<0.05). After chemotherapy, the total protein levels in two groups decreased[the experimental group: (64.52±4.85) g/L, the control group: (61.97±4.65) g/L] which was significantly different from that before chemotherapy [the experimental group: (68.17±6.37) g/L, the control group: (68.08±5.14) g/L] (P<0.01). The total protein level of the experimental group after chemotherapy was significant higher than that in the control group (P<0.05). Both albumin levels in 2 groups increased after chemotherapy [(42.45±4.32) g/L in the experimental group and (41.15±3.73) g/L in the control group], and there was a significant difference between 2 groups before chemotherapy [(39.54±3.26) g/L in the experimental group and (40.01±4.37) g/L in the control group] (P<0.05). The level of prealbumin increased after chemotherapy in both groups [(324.57±64.328) mg/L in the experimental group and (293.07±69.09) mg/L in the control group] compared with that before chemotherapy [(121.10±35.13) mg/L in the experimental group and(131.20±52.77) mg/L in the control group]. The change was statistically significant (P<0.01). The albumin level in the experimental group before chemotherapy was lower than that in the control group after chemotherapy, but it was higher than that in the control group after chemotherapy.Protein differences were statistically significant (P<0.05). The reduction rate of elemental iron in the experimental group after chemotherapy was lower than that in the control group, but it was not statistically significant (P>0.05). Elemental zinc was not significantly different compared with the control group.The incidence of neutropenia after chemotherapy in ALL children was higher (37/60 cases, 61.67%). The recovery of neutropenia after chemotherapy in the experimental group was better than that in the control group.After chemotherapy, the severity of anemia in the experimental group was lighter than that in the control group.The amount of blood transfusion required and amount of transfusion per capita were less than those in the control group (54 person-times vs.74 person-times, 2.45 times vs.3.08 times). The total number of transfused blood products was less than that of the control group (78 person-times vs.101 person-times), but none of the findings above were statistically significant (all P>0.05). The degree of hepatic damage in the experimental group decreased after chemotherapy, but there was no significant change in the control group.The initial activated partial thromboplastin time(APTT) prolongation in the trial group was more than that in the control group (5 cases vs.3 cases), and less than the control group (0 case vs.1 case) after chemotherapy.The frequency of fever in the experimental group during chemotherapy was less than that in the control group (6 cases vs.8 cases), and the average time of fever was shorter than that in the control group (2.8 d vs.4.1 d). None of the above findings were statistically significant (all P>0.05). During the course of chemotherapy, 0 pancreatitis occurred in the experimental group, and 1 pancreatitis occurred in the control group.There was no difference in remission rates between 2 groups of chemotherapy for 15 days and chemotherapy for 33 days. Conclusions The nutritional status of children with ALL was reduced after initial induction chemotherapy.Enteral nutrition support was helpful to maintain the nutritional status for children at the initial stage of chemotherapy, high-calorie diet, high-quality protein, and high-medium-chain triglyceride enteral nutrition support improves blood system tolerance to chemotherapy and reduces chemotherapy complications.

Objective To investigate the efficacy of blood purification for acute lymphoblastic leukemia pediatric patients with high-dose methotrexate (MTX)-induced hypermethotrexemia and acute kidney injury (AKI). Methods The clinical data of 50 acute lymphoblastic leukemia pediatric patients with hypermethotrexemia (the 45th hour MTX blood concentration ＞20 μmol/L) and AKI who were admitted to Beijing Children's Hospital Capital Medical University from May 2010 to August 2018 were collected. After the treatment of blood purification, the declining rate of MTX concentration, the incidence of drug-related side effects and the clinical transition were analyzed retrospectively. Results The median MTX blood concentration at the 45th hour after high-dose MTX chemotherapy was 31.5 μmol/L (20.0-80.3 μmol/L). After blood purification treatment, 48 patients (96%) survived, 1 patient (2%) died, and 1 patient (2%) gave up treatment. It costed 10.0 days (7.0-15.0 days) to decline the MTX concentration to the normal level by using blood purification. The median time of purification was 32.5 hours (2.0-168.0 hours), and the days of dialysis were 3.0 days (1.0-9.0 days). The AKI occurred in approximately 96% (48/50) of patients, which was the main side effect. The time of declining the high MTX concentration to the normal was positively correlated with the increase times of serum creatinine (r ＝ 0.371, P＝ 0.009) and urea nitrogen (r ＝ 0.486, P＝ 0.001), and the value of the alanine aminotransferase (r ＝0.364, P＝0.010) and gamma glutamyl transpeptidase (r ＝ 0.344, P＝ 0.010), and the days of dialysis (r ＝ 0.532, P < 0.01), but there was no relationship with the 45th hour MTX blood concentration (r＝0.110, P＝0.248). The reduction of MTX blood concentration from the 45th hour to the 69th hour after high-dose MTX chemotherapy was negatively correlated with the increase times of urea nitrogen (r ＝ -0.336, P＝ 0.009) and serum creatinine (r ＝ -0.260, P＝ 0.035). Conclusion When the MTX blood concentration of patients with hypermethotrexemia and AKI couldn't be declined to the normal level by using high-dose leucovorin, hydration and alkalization, and without the effective detoxification drug (carboxypeptidase G2), they should be offered blood purification, especially continuous renal replacement therapy as soon as possible, which can reduce the blood concentration of MTX quickly and decrease the incidence of side effects effectively.

Objective To explore the feasibility of needle-embedding therapy in the treatment of chronic myocardial ischemia using a miniature pig model established by placement of an Ameroid constrictor at the left anterior descending branch (LAD) of coronary artery in Bama miniature pigs during surgery. Methods The miniature pig model of chronic myocardial ischemia was established by placement of an Ameroid constrictor at the left anterior descending branch of the left coronary artery in Bama miniature pigs. The pig models were randomly divided into the treatment group (the"Neiguan " group) and the control group (the "Zusanli " group), and were treated with needle- embedding electroacupuncture at the"Neiguan" (PC6) and "Zusanli" (ST36) acupoints, respectively. Myocardial samples were taken at 6 weeks after surgery for light and electron microscopic examinations. Results Gross pathology showed that ischemic area in the myocardium appeared in both experimental groups. The ischemic area in the "Zusanli "group was larger than that of the"Neiguan"group. Histopathology showed that the acupuncture treatment at the"Neiguan"acupoint reduced the ischemic injury in the pig myocardial tissues. Ultrastructural observation of the myocardium showed mitochondrial vacuolization in cardiomyocytes and myocardial fibrosis in both groups. Conclusions Acupuncture therapy at the"Neiguan"acupoint of pericardial channel may exert protective effect on the myocardial ischemia by reducing the ischemia-injury of cardiomyocytes, but can not inhibit the already existed ischemia-induced cardiomyocytic injuries. Our findings suggest that the establishment of miniature pig model of chronic myocardial ischemia by surgically placing an Ameroid constrictor on the left anterior descending branch of left coronary artery and the needle-embedding in acupoints is feasible for the treatment of chronic myocardial ischemia in this pig model.

Objective: To explore age-based clinical and immune parameters in Henoch-Schönlein purpura (HSP) to determine clinically useful markers reflecting disease characteristic. Methods: A cohort of 502 patients with HSP were enrolled into this retrospective study to evaluate their clinical and immune data. Results: Majority HSP cases occurred at age ≤14 years and showed significant immune imbalances of ESR, CD3⁺ cells, CD4⁺ cells, CD3^-CD16⁺CD56⁺ cells, CD4⁺/CD8⁺ cells, IgG, IgA, IgM, IgE, complements C3/C4 and ASO in the acute phase. Compared to patients aged >14 years, symptoms of joint were more frequent at disease onset in patients aged ≤14 years (20.8% vs 7.6%, χ²=13.547, P<0.001) , and involvement of digestive tract and joint were also more frequent (57.4% vs 33.8%, χ²=24.106, P<0.001; 55.9% vs 32.5%, χ²=23.768, P<0.001, respectively) , but not for involvement of kidney (21.4% vs 51.3%, χ²=42.440, P<0.001) . The patients aged ≤14 years had distinct immune state, reductions of CD3⁺ cells, CD4⁺ cells and IgG were more frequent than patients aged >14 years, also increase of ASO (33.1% vs 20.0%, χ²=6.656, P=0.010) , but not increase of IgA (2.6% vs 39.4%, χ²=15.582, P<0.001) . In addition, reduction of IgG and increase of IgE were positively associated with digestive tract involvement (P<0.001, P=0.001, respectively) , reduction of CD3⁺CD4⁺ cells and normal IgM were positively associated with joint involvement (P=0.004, P=0.003, respectively) , increase of CD3⁺CD8⁺ cells and normal CD3⁺ cells were positively associated with kidney involvement (P=0.032, P=0.014, respectively) . Conclusion HSP showed significant immune imbalance in the acute phase, patients between aged ≤14 and >14 years had distinct clinical and immune characteristic, and abnormal immune parameters were significantly associated with organ involvements.