OBJECTIVES: To summarize the clinical characteristics, diagnosis, and treatment outcomes of neonatal venous thrombosis. METHODS: A retrospective analysis was conducted on the clinical data of 11 neonates with venous thrombosis admitted to the Department of Neonatology of Anhui Children's Hospital from January 2019 to September 2024. The clinical characteristics, diagnostic approaches, treatments, and outcomes were analyzed. RESULTS: Among the 11 neonates diagnosed with venous thrombosis, 5 were male, and 6 were preterm infants, with a median gestational age of 35⁺⁶ weeks, birth weight of (2 322±1 069) g, and admission temperature of (36.6±0.4)°C. The median age at symptom onset was 6 days. Of the 11 cases, 8 limb venous thromboses and 1 portal vein thrombosis were confirmed by vascular ultrasound, and 2 cases of intracranial venous sinus thrombosis were confirmed by magnetic resonance imaging. Ten cases received low molecular weight heparin for anticoagulation, with a treatment duration of (24±15) days; 2 cases were treated with urokinase thrombolysis, and 4 cases received fresh frozen plasma transfusion. Thrombosis resolved in 7 cases before discharge. Partial resolution occurred in 2 cases before discharge (1 continued outpatient treatment until resolution and 1 resolved during follow-up). One case was transferred to another hospital after 1 day of treatment and was discharged after thrombosis reduction. No adverse reactions such as bleeding were observed. One neonate with cerebral infarction at admission did not receive heparin anticoagulation and was followed up as an outpatient. CONCLUSIONS Vascular ultrasound is the most commonly used diagnostic method for neonatal venous thrombosis. Heparin anticoagulation is the recommended treatment. The overall prognosis of neonatal venous thrombosis is favorable.
Humans ; Male ; Venous Thrombosis/drug therapy* ; Infant, Newborn ; Female ; Retrospective Studies

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the dynamic changes of glucocorticoid (GC) dose and the feasibility of GC discontinuation in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients under the background of Chinese medicine (CM). METHODS: This multicenter retrospective cohort study included 1,196 RA patients enrolled in the China Rheumatoid Arthritis Registry of Patients with Chinese Medicine (CERTAIN) from September 1, 2019 to December 4, 2023, who initiated GC therapy. Participants were divided into the Western medicine (WM) and integrative medicine (IM, combination of CM and WM) groups based on medication regimen. Follow-up was performed at least every 3 months to assess dynamic changes in GC dose. Changes in GC dose were analyzed by generalized estimator equation, the probability of GC discontinuation was assessed using Kaplan-Meier curve, and predictors of GC discontinuation were analyzed by Cox regression. Patients with <12 months of follow-up were excluded for the sensitivity analysis. RESULTS: Among 1,196 patients (85.4% female; median age 56.4 years), 880 (73.6%) received IM. Over a median 12-month follow-up, 34.3% (410 cases) discontinued GC, with significantly higher rates in the IM group (40.8% vs. 16.1% in WM; P<0.05). GC dose declined progressively, with IM patients demonstrating faster reductions (median 3.75 mg vs. 5.00 mg in WM at 12 months; P<0.05). Multivariate Cox analysis identified age <60 years [P<0.001, hazard ratios (HR)=2.142, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.523-3.012], IM therapy (P=0.001, HR=2.175, 95% CI: 1.369-3.456), baseline GC dose ⩽7.5 mg (P=0.003, HR=1.637, 95% CI: 1.177-2.275), and absence of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs use (P=0.001, HR=2.546, 95% CI: 1.432-4.527) as significant predictors of GC discontinuation. Sensitivity analysis (545 cases) confirmed these findings. CONCLUSIONS RA patients receiving CM face difficulties in following guideline-recommended GC discontinuation protocols. IM can promote GC discontinuation and is a promising strategy to reduce GC dependency in RA management. (Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov, No. NCT05219214).
Adult ; Aged ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Arthritis, Rheumatoid/drug therapy* ; Glucocorticoids/therapeutic use* ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Retrospective Studies

Immunotherapy has emerged as a revolutionary approach to treat immune-related diseases. Dendritic cells (DCs) play a pivotal role in orchestrating immune responses, making them an attractive target for immunotherapeutic interventions. Modulation of gene expression in DCs using genome editing techniques, such as the CRISPR-Cas system, is important for regulating DC functions. However, the precise delivery of CRISPR-based therapies to DCs has posed a significant challenge. While lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) have been extensively studied for gene editing in tumor cells, their potential application in DCs has remained relatively unexplored. This study investigates the important role of cholesterol in regulating the efficiency of BAMEA-O16B lipid-assisted nanoparticles (BLANs) as carriers of CRISPR/Cas9 for gene editing in DCs. Remarkably, BLANs with low cholesterol density exhibit exceptional mRNA uptake, improved endosomal escape, and efficient single-guide RNA release capabilities. Administration of BLAN_mCas9/gPD-L1 results in substantial PD-L1 gene knockout in conventional dendritic cells (cDCs), accompanied by heightened cDC1 activation, T cell stimulation, and significant suppression of tumor growth. The study underscores the pivotal role of cholesterol density within LNPs, revealing potent influence on gene editing efficacy within DCs. This strategy holds immense promise for the field of cancer immunotherapy, offering a novel avenue for treating immune-related diseases.

Chronic visceral pain is a persistent and debilitating condition arising from dysfunction or sensitization of the visceral organs and their associated nervous pathways. Increasing evidence suggests that imbalances in central nervous system function play an essential role in the progression of visceral pain, but the exact mechanisms underlying the neural circuitry and molecular targets remain largely unexplored. In the present study, the ventral tegmental area (VTA) was shown to mediate visceral pain in mice. Visceral pain stimulation increased c-Fos expression and Ca²⁺ activity of glutamatergic VTA neurons, and optogenetic modulation of glutamatergic VTA neurons altered visceral pain. In particular, the upregulation of NMDA receptor 2A (NR2A) subunits within the VTA resulted in visceral pain in mice. Administration of a selective NR2A inhibitor decreased the number of visceral pain-induced c-Fos positive neurons and attenuated visceral pain. Pharmacology combined with chemogenetics further demonstrated that glutamatergic VTA neurons regulated visceral pain behaviors based on NR2A. In summary, our findings demonstrated that the upregulation of NR2A in glutamatergic VTA neurons plays a critical role in visceral pain. These insights provide a foundation for further comprehension of the neural circuits and molecular targets involved in chronic visceral pain and may pave the way for targeted therapies in chronic visceral pain.
Animals ; Male ; Visceral Pain/metabolism* ; Up-Regulation/physiology* ; Ventral Tegmental Area/metabolism* ; Receptors, N-Methyl-D-Aspartate/antagonists & inhibitors* ; Neurons/drug effects* ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; Mice ; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-fos/metabolism* ; Chronic Pain/metabolism* ; Glutamic Acid/metabolism*

With the growing emphasis on maternal and child oral health, the significance of managing oral health across preconception, pregnancy, and infancy stages has become increasingly apparent. Oral health challenges extend beyond affecting maternal well-being, exerting profound influences on fetal and neonatal oral development as well as immune system maturation. This expert consensus paper, developed using a modified Delphi method, reviews current research and provides recommendations on maternal and child oral health management. It underscores the critical role of comprehensive oral assessments prior to conception, diligent oral health management throughout pregnancy, and meticulous oral hygiene practices during infancy. Effective strategies should be seamlessly integrated across the life course, encompassing preconception oral assessments, systematic dental care during pregnancy, and routine infant oral hygiene. Collaborative efforts among pediatric dentists, maternal and child health workers, and obstetricians are crucial to improving outcomes and fostering clinical research, contributing to evidence-based health management strategies.
Humans ; Pregnancy ; Female ; Infant ; Consensus ; Mouth Diseases/therapy* ; Pregnancy Complications/therapy* ; Oral Health ; Infant, Newborn ; Delphi Technique ; Oral Hygiene

Objective:To explore the application of viral load (VL) testing in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) antibody screening positive but western blot (WB) negative samples, provide scientific basis for laboratory diagnosis of such populations.Methods:For the HIV antibody retest samples from the initial screening laboratory of Zaozhuang City Center for Disease Control and Prevention from 2021 to 2023, as well as samples from the voluntary counseling and testing at outpatient clinic of our unit that showed a negative WB test result, VL and CD4 + T lymphocyte counts were tested. Four weeks later, the patients were followed up and blood samples were collected by the current district (city) Center for Disease Control and Prevention, and sent to the confirmation laboratory for confirming testing. Results:Among the thirty-two patients, there were fifteen cases with target not detected (TND) by using VL. After four weeks, the follow-up results were all negative. There was one case with a VL test result of 20-5 000 copies/ml, and after four weeks, the follow-up result was positive. There were sixteen cases with a VL test result of >5 000 copies/ml. After four weeks, the follow-up results were all positive. Person correlation analysis was conducted between the log value of VL and CD4 + T lymphocyte count, and the result showed a certain degree of negative correlation ( r=-0.63, P=0.006). Conclusions:VL testing can assist in distinguishing patients with positive HIV antibody screening and negative WB results, and VL testing and WB testing should complement each other, combined with CD4 + T lymphocyte count and epidemiological history to make a diagnosis.

Objective To describe the current state of research and future research hotspots through a metrological analysis of the literature in the field of forensic anthropological remains identification re-search.Methods The data retrieved and extracted from the Web of Science Core Collection (WoSCC),the core database of the Web of Science information service platform (hereinafter referred to as "WoS"),was used to analyze the trends and topic changes in research on forensic identification of human re-mains from 1991 to 2022.Network visualisation of publication trends,countries (regions),institutions,authors and topics related to the identification of remains in forensic anthropology was analysed using python 3.9.2 and Gephi 0.10.Results A total of 873 papers written in English in the field of forensic anthropological remains identification research were obtained.The journal with the largest number of publications was Forensic Science International (164 articles).The country (region) with the largest number of published papers was China (90 articles).Katholieke Univ Leuven (Netherlands,21 articles) was the institution with the largest number of publications.Topic analysis revealed that the focus of forensic anthropological remains identification research was sex estimation and age estimation,and the most commonly studied remains were teeth.Conclusion The volume of publications in the field of forensic anthropological remains identification research has a distinct phasing.However,the scope of both international and domestic collaborations remains limited.Traditionally,human remains identifica-tion has primarily relied on key areas such as the pelvis,skull,and teeth.Looking ahead,future re-search will likely focus on the more accurate and efficient identification of multiple skeletal remains through the use of machine learning and deep learning techniques.

Objective To analyze the characteristics of adult body composition and obesity status of three ethnic groups:Ewenki,Daur and Mongolian Buryat.Methods The bioelectrical impedance analysis(BIA)was used to measure 18 body composition components in three adults ethnic groups:245(male 124,female 121)Ewenki,207(male 90,female 117)Daur,and 181(male 74,female 107)Mongolian Buryat.The data were processed using Excel 2016 and SPSS 24.0 statistical software.Results The result of correlation analysis showed that visceral fat level was significantly and positively correlated with age(P＜0.01).Stature,total body muscle mass,estimated bone mass and trunk muscle mass were all significantly and negatively correlated with age(P＜0.01)in males and females of the three ethnic groups.The percent body fat,percent left upper limb fat and percent trunk fat were positively correlated with age in Ewenki males(P＜0.05 or P＜0.01)and the percent body fat,body mass index(BMI),percent limb fat and percent trunk fat were positively correlated with age in Ewenki females(P＜0.05 or P＜0.01).Body weight,BMI,percent left upper limb fat,left upper limb muscle mass,bilateral lower limb fat and muscle mass were all negatively correlated with age in Daur males(P＜0.05 or P＜0.01).Body weight,upper limb muscle mass and left lower limb muscle mass were negatively correlated with age(P＜0.05 or P＜0.01)in Mongolian Buryat males and percent trunk fat was positively correlated with age(P＜0.05)in Mongolian Buryat females.Comparison between ethnic groups showed that most of the body composition index values of the Ewenki and Mongolian Buryat divisions were closest to each other,and the body fat content was higher than that of the Daur.BMI,percent body fat and visceral fat level were all manifested in the Mongolian Buryat Department＞Ewenki＞Daur.Cluster analysis showed that Ewenki,Daur and Mongolian Buryat were closer to the northern groups and further from the southern groups.Conclusion The Ewenki is most similar to the Mongolian Buryat in body composition characteristics all three ethnic groups has a more serious obesity problem.

Healthy lifestyles and good living habits are effective strategies and important approaches to prevent chronic non-communicable diseases. With the development of evidence-based medicine, the evidence translation system has made some achievements in clinical practice. There is, however, no comprehensive, professional and efficient system for translating lifestyle evidence globally. Therefore, the Health Lifestyle Evidence (HLSE) Group of Lanzhou University constructed the HLSE Evidence Translation System (https://hlse.cn/), with the aim of synthesizing, evaluating, translating, and applying lifestyle-related evidence resources. This paper aims to introduce the functional module design of the evidence translation system, the system development process and testing, introduce the interface design and function demonstration, and explain the significance of constructing the HLSE.

Protein as the allergens could lead to allergy. In addition, a widespread class of allergens were known as glycans of N-glycoprotein. N-glycoprotein contained oligosaccharide linked by covalent bonds with protein. Recently,studies implicated that allergy was associated with glycans of heterologous N-glycoprotein found in food, inhalants, insect toxins, etc. The N-glycan structure of N-glycoprotein allergen has exerted an influence on the binding between allergens and IgE, while the recognition and presentation of allergens by antigen-presenting cells (APCs) were also affected. Some researches showed thatN-glycan structure of allergen was remodeled by N-glycosidase, such as cFase I, gpcXylase, as binding of allergen and IgE partly decreased. Thus, allergic problems caused by N-glycoproteins could potentially be solved by modifying or altering the structure ofN-glycoprotein allergens, addressing the root of the issue. Mechanism of N-glycans associated allergy could also be elaborated through glycosylation enzymes, alterations of host glycosylation. This article hopes to provide a separate insight for glycoimmunology perspective, and an alternative strategy for clinical prevention or therapy of allergic diseases.