Objective To observe changes in genetic material in the peripheral blood of pediatric patients with vascular malformations after interventional procedures. Methods A total of 108 children with vascular malformations who underwent interventional procedures at Shandong University Affiliated Children’s Hospital between February 2021 and January 2024 were selected as the research subjects. Clinical data and peripheral venous blood samples before and after the interventional procedures were collected from the children. Two biological indicators, γ-H2AX and peripheral blood lymphocyte chromosomal aberration (CA), were used to determine the levels of genetic material damage in children with vascular malformations before and after interventional procedures. Results The median age of the children was 7 years and the median body weight was 27 kg. The median dose-area product (DAP) was 24.20 Gy·cm² and the median DAP/kg was 1.04 Gy·cm²/kg. The incidence rates of both γ-H2AX foci and CA in children with vascular malformations significantly increased after the interventional procedures (Z = 5.924, P < 0.001; Z = 8.515, P < 0.001). The incidence of postoperative CA in 7 children were significantly higher than that in others, approaching or exceeding 4%. The incidence rates of postoperative γ-H2AX foci and CA in children with DAP/kg ≥ 1 Gy·cm²/kg were significantly higher than those in children with DAP/kg < 1 Gy·cm²/kg (U = 7.586, P = 0.031; U = 6.835, P = 0.009). No significant differences were observed in the incidence rates of postoperative γ-H2AX foci and CA among subgroups based on age, body weight, or surgical site. A positive correlation was observed between the difference in the incidence rates of γ-H2AX foci before and after the procedure and DAP/kg (R = 0.493, P = 0.027). Conclusion Ionizing radiation exposure during interventional procedures can increase peripheral blood genetic material damage levels in children with vascular malformations, and the damage levels show a correlation with the radiation dose, with some children being abnormally sensitive. Further research is needed to explore the influencing factors for genetic material damage in children with vascular malformations after interventional procedures, which is of great significance for reducing long-term cancer risks and achieving personalized treatment strategies.

Computed tomography (CT) examination may expose patients to a high radiation dose. The reduction of radiation dose in pediatric CT examinations is becoming increasingly important. The diagnostic reference level (DRL) is a practical tool that can achieve optimization of protection and reduce radiation dose in pediatric CT examinations. This article provides a brief summary of the concept, development methods, current situations by country, and issues related to the DRL in pediatric CT examinations, aiming to provide a references for radiation protection optimization in pediatric CT examinations in China.

At present, the incidence and mortality of tumors are increasing, and the treatment of tumors has attracted much attention. Radiotherapy is a key method for tumor treatment; however, its effectiveness is often constrained by radioresistance. During tumor radiotherapy, DNA damage response (DDR) is a key factor in the radioresistance of tumor cells. Research has shown that the radiosensitivity of tumor cells can be effectively improved by regulating the expression of key proteins in the DDR pathway. Targeting the DDR signaling pathway has become an effective strategy to reduce tumor radioresistance. This article focuses on the mechanisms, clinical research status, limitations, and current challenges associated with the key DDR proteins DNA-PKcs, ATM, ATR, and PARP as therapeutic targets for tumor radiotherapy sensitization, in order to provide a reference for the development of radiotherapy sensitization agents.

The number of interventional procedures has increased significantly due to the advantages of minor trauma, rapid recovery, and low incidence of complications. In 2018, there were approximately 24 million interventional procedures worldwide, representing a six-fold increase compared with 3.6 million procedures in 2008. From 2020 to 2021, the percentage of medical institutions with independent interventional departments in China increased from 50.49% to 63.18%. Interventional procedures inherently involve exposure to ionizing radiation, which poses a greater risk of radiation-related harm to the pediatric population due to their increased sensitivity, Consequently, the radiation dose levels experienced by children undergoing these procedures have become a growing concern, emerging as a focus of research both nationally and internationally. This article summarizes the reports published by the International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP), the National Council on Radiation Protection and Measurements (NCRP), and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) as well as academic articles, and reviews the dose optimization measures in the interventional procedures for pediatric patients. Regular radiation safety training for interventional radiation workers, enhancing radiation safety awareness, optimizing intraoperative techniques, and timely updating imaging equipment can effectively reduce the radiation dose received by pediatric patients. This approach helps reduce the doses to an acceptable range while still meeting interventional procedural requirements, thereby protecting the physical health of pediatric patients.

The thyroid gland is an endocrine organ sensitive to ionizing radiation. Long term exposure to low dose radiation (LDR) among radiation workers in work may lead to thyroid dysfunction or the formation of thyroid nodules. The influencing factors of these outcomes are various and multifaceted, including but not limited to environmental factors (iodine intake levels), occupational factors (length of service, personal dose), and individual factors (gender, age, smoking, alcohol consumption, obesity, blood pressure, blood glucose). Currently, there is no consensus on the specific trends of thyroid nodule development and thyroid function indicators in radiation workers caused by long-term LDR exposure. Therefore, molecular epidemiological investigations should be conducted to explore its pathogenesis in the future, and long-term epidemiological investigations with multiple centers and large samples can be conducted to further verify existing findings. Furthermore, strengthening occupational health training of radiation workers and standardizing personal dose measurement are beneficial for comprehensive prevention of thyroid diseases, and ensuring occupational health of radiation workers.

Objective To evaluate the radiation dose of interventional procedure for children with congenital heart disease, and to analyze the differences in radiation dose and influencing factors. Methods A total of 94 children who underwent interventional procedure for congenital heart disease at a grade A tertiary hospital in Jinan, Shandong Province, China from June 2021 to September 2022 were included in this study. The patients were divided into three groups according to the type of procedure: ventricular septal defect occlusion group (VSD, 48 cases), patent ductus arteriosus occlusion group (PDA, 29 cases), and atrial septal defect occlusion group (ASD, 17 cases). The basic information of patients and postoperative dose reports were recorded. A statistical analysis was performed using SPSS software. Results The median cumulative air kerma (CAK) of VSD, PDA, and ASD was 100.5, 43.7, and 12.1 mGy, respectively. The median air kerma area product (KAP) of VSD, PDA, and ASD was 3.309, 1.313, and 0.540 Gy·cm², respectively. The median KAP·kg⁻¹ of VSD, PDA, and ASD was 0.179, 0.088, and 0.031 Gy·cm²·kg⁻¹, respectively. There were significant differences in fluoroscopy time, number of cine images, CAK, KAP, and KAP·kg⁻¹ among the three types of interventional procedures (P<0.05). Compared with PDA and ASD, VSD showed significantly higher fluoroscopy time, number of cine images, CAK, KAP, and KAP·kg⁻¹ (P<0.05). Multiple linear regression analysis found that age (B=52.445, P<0.05), weight (B=13.077, P<0.05), fluoroscopy time (B=0.425, P<0.05), tube current (B=0.872, P<0.05), and number of cine images (B=0.660, P<0.05) were positively correlated with KAP, while there was no significant association between height and KAP (P>0.05). Conclusion There are differences in radiation dose among the three types of procedures. Reducing fluoroscopy time, tube current, and number of cine images while meeting the procedure requirements is of great significance for reducing the radiation dose received by children.

Objective To apply a phantom for dose measurement in interventional therapy for pediatric vascular diseases, and calculate the effective dose (E) and conversion coefficient of dose area product (DAP) to E, and to provide a dose reference for studying radiation dose and radiation protection in children. Methods Thermoluminescent dosimeters were placed in the organs of the phantom. Low-, medium-, and high-dose groups were set for three types of vascular anomalies based on the duration of fluoroscopy. Digital subtraction angiography was used to simulate exposure conditions at different dose levels. The organ dose was measured, and the effective dose was calculated. Results For the three groups of vascular anomalies in the head and face, the red bone marrow doses were 8.15, 30.34, and 43.53 mGy, respectively, the effective doses were 12.88, 47.84, and 73.12 mSv, respectively; and the average conversion coefficient of DAP to E was 2.16. For the three groups of vascular anomalies in the trunk, the red bone marrow doses were 2.11, 15.62, and 31.21 mGy, respectively; the effective doses were 12.39, 70.56, and 134.60 mSv, respectively, and the average conversion coefficient of DAP to E was 3.03. For the three groups of vascular anomalies in the lower extremities, the red bone marrow doses were 3.58, 6.50, and 12.28 mGy, respectively, the effective doses were 3.64, 7.04, and 14.85 mSv, respectively, and the average conversion coefficient of DAP to E was 0.73. Conclusion Patient dose and DAP-to-E conversion coefficient are in the following order: vascular anomalies in the trunk > vascular anomalies in the head and face > vascular anomalies in the lower extremities. The dose data obtained can be used to estimate children’s radiation exposure.

The etiology and pathogenesis of autoimmune liver diseases has always been a hot area of research. Pathogen infections can elicit an autoimmune response and often become the key pathogenic factor of immune diseases. Based on the literature data and the author's clinical experience, this review will briefly introduce the role and influence of pathogen infections in the development and progression of autoimmune liver diseases from the aspects such as molecular mimicry mechanism, in order to further understand the pathogenesis of autoimmune liver diseases.

Objective:Comparing the diagnostic performance of pulmonary infection pathogens between metagenomic next-generation sequencing (mNGS) testing and traditional assay in patients with AIDS to provide references for the diagnosis and treatment of the disease.Methods:From July 2019 to January 2021, the regular clinical assays as well as mNGS testing were performed for patients and those discharged with a diagnosis of AIDS and pulmonary infection were retrospectively reviewed in the department of infectious diseases of Beijing You An Hospital. The cases with discharge diagnosis of AIDS for whom mNGS testing was performed on samples from respiratory system were analyzed. Diagnostic performance of pathogens was compared between mNGS testing and traditional etiologyic diagnostic method. Diagnosis concordance analysis and diagnostic comparison study between mNGS and traditional etiology diagnosis method in terms of pathogens were also performed.Results:Fifty-five cases discharged with AIDS and pulmonary infection were enrolled.. For 29 cases for whom mNGS testing was performed on samples from respiratory system, the sensitivity of mNGS for diagnosing infection was higher than that of traditional etiology diagnosis method (89.7% vs. 37.9%, P<0.001) but with poor consistency (Kappa=0.249, P=0.170). A superior positivity rate in mNGS than that in traditional etiology diagnosis method for diagnosing bacterial (90.9% vs. 9.1%, P<0.001) Pneumocystis jirovecii (mNGS only), and nontuberculous mycobacteria (mNGS only). Conclusions:mNGS could yield a higher sensitivity for pulmonary pathogen identification in AIDS patients, especially for bacterial, Pneumocystis jirovecii and nontuberculous mycobacteria compared to traditional etiologic diagnostic method.

Invasive fungal disease (IFD) is a major infectious complication in patients with hematological malignancies. In this study, we examined 4889 courses of chemotherapy in patients with hematological diseases to establish a training dataset (n = 3500) by simple random sampling to develop a weighted risk score for proven or probable IFD through multivariate regression, which included the following variables: male patients, induction chemotherapy for newly diagnosed or relapsed disease, neutropenia, neutropenia longer than 10 days, hypoalbuminemia, central-venous catheter, and history of IFD. The patients were classified into three groups, which had low (0-10, ~1.2%), intermediate (11-15, 6.4%), and high risk ( > 15, 17.5%) of IFD. In the validation set (n = 1389), the IFD incidences of the groups were ~1.4%, 5.0%, and 21.4%. In addition, we demonstrated that antifungal prophylaxis offered no benefits in low-risk patients, whereas benefits were documented in intermediate (2.1% vs. 6.6%, P = 0.007) and high-risk patients (8.4% vs. 23.3%, P = 0.007). To make the risk score applicable for clinical settings, a pre-chemo risk score that deleted all unpredictable factors before chemotherapy was established, and it confirmed that anti-fungal prophylaxis was beneficial in patients with intermediate and high risk of IFD. In conclusion, an objective, weighted risk score for IFD was developed, and it may be useful in guiding antifungal prophylaxis.