Objective:To explore the clinical phenotype and genetic characteristics of a patient with Ataxia and vitamin E deficiency syndrome (AVED) due to a variant of TTPA gene. Methods:A patient diagnosed with AVED (proband), intended for assisted reproductive technology for pregnancy in Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University in July 2023, was selected as research subject. Clinical data of the proband were collected, and 2 mL of peripheral venous blood samples were collected from the proband and her father and siblings for serum vitamin E level testing. Whole exome sequencing (WES) was carried out. Pathogenic variants were selected based on American public archive of interpretations of clinically relevant variants (ClinVar). Sanger sequencing was performed to validate the candidate variants detected by WES. Pathogenicity of variants was classified based on the guidelines from the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics (ACMG), and the impact of variants was analyzed using multiple bioinformatics tools including SIFT, Mutation Taster, CADD, and SpliceAI. Information on the protein domains was obtained from ClinVar and dbSNP databases, and a hotspot map for the variants of protein-coding region was constructed. This study was approved by the Medical Ethics Committee of Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University (No. 2023068K).Results:The proband has a significantly low serum level of vitamin E (5.186 μ g/mL), while her father and siblings were normal. WES revealed that she has harbored a homozygous missense c. 2T>A(p.0? ) variant of the TTPA gene, for which her father and younger sister were heterozygous carriers. Based on the guidelines from the ACMG, the missense c. 2T>A(p.0? ) variant of the TTPA gene was classified as pathogenic (PVS1+ PM2+ PM3). Multiple bioinformatics tools had predicted this variant to be located in the initiation codon region and may lead to abnormal synthesis of the TTPA protein, indicating it was deleterious. The hotspot map based on ClinVar and dbSNP databases showed an even distribution of variants across 5 structural domains of the TTPA protein, with high conservation of the first amino acid residue across various species. Conclusion:The homozygous c. 2T>A(p.0? ) variant of the TTPA gene probably underlie the AVED in the proband. Above discovery has enriched the mutational spectrum of AVED and provided a basis for the diagnosis, genetic counseling, and assisted reproductive strategies for this family.

Objective:To investigate the safety of tocilizumab (TCZ) in the treatment of children with systemic juvenile idiopathic arthritis (sJIA).Methods:Data of children aged 2 to 18 years with the diagnosis of sJIA and treated with TCZ from June 1, 2017 to June 30, 2022 at our hospital were retrospectively collected. The clinical medication characteristics, incidence, severity and outcome of adverse drug reactions (ADR) were statistically analyzed. Univariate and multivariate analysis were used to analyze the risk factors of TCZ-induced ADR. Univariate comparison between groups were compared to the measured data followed by t test for normal distribution, and the counting data were paired with Chi-square test. Binary logistic regression analysis was used for multivariate analysis. Results:A total of 83 eligible children were enrolled. The age at TCZ initiation was (8.5±3.7) years old. Most of the children received oral glucocorticoid (86.8%) and/or methotrexate (72.3%) prior to TCZ treatment. The mean time of TCZ duration was (1.2±0.9) years, the total TCZ exposure was 92.70 patient years. Fifty-five (66.3%) children reported 123 ADR, with a rate of 132.69/100 patient years. Forty-two (50.6%) children reported 103 general ADR, with a rate of 111.11/100 patient years. Eighteen (21.7%) children reported 20 serious ADR, with a rate of 21.57/100 patient years. The results of univariate analysis showed that the dosage of glucocorticoid in ADR group was higher than that in non-ADR group [(0.76±0.50) mg·kg -1·d -1vs. (0.52±0.41) mg·kg -1·d -1, t=2.27, P=0.026], and the difference was statistically significant. However, there were no significant differences in gender [(male 23, female 32) cases vs. (male 9, female 19) cases, χ2=0.73, P=0.392], age at TCZ initiation [(8.5±3.8) years old vs. (9.0±3.1) years old, t=-0.65, P=0.516], duration of TCZ treatment [(1.24±1.00) years vs. (1.05±0.90) years, t=0.87, P=0.385], methotrexate doses weekly [(8.0±5.2) mg/m 2vs. (7.6±5.1) mg/m 2, t=0.39, P=0.696], and history of drug or food allergy (11 cases vs. 5 cases, χ2=0.06, P=0.815) between the two groups. The results of binary logistic regression analysis showed that the combined use of oral glucocorticoids was an independent risk factor for TCZ-induced ADR [ OR (95% CI) =3.05 (1.11, 8.36), P=0.030]. The risk of ADR was 3.05 times higher in the combined daily dose of glucocorticoids ≥0.76 mg/kg prednisone equivalent than that of < 0.76 mg/kg. Common general ADR to TCZ include infections (38.83/100 patient years) and abnormalities in laboratory parameters (37.76/100 patient years) such as elevated glutamic-pyrupiane transaminase (18.34/100 patient years), dyslipidemia (12.94/100 patient years), and hemocytopenia (5.39/100 patient years). The serious ADR included serious infection (9.71/100 patient years) and serious infusion reaction(7.55/100 patient years). All ADR were improved after drug withdrawal or symptomatic treatment, and no deaths occurred. Conclusion:TCZ has a good safety profile in the treatment of sJIA. Serious infections and severe infusion reactions often lead to discontinuation of the drug. The combination of glucocorticoids≥0.76 mg/kg prednisone equivalent is an independent risk factor for TCZ-induced ADR. Monitoring should be strengthened during the application of TCZ, and ADR should be detected and treated as early as possible to reduce the risk of medication related adverse reactions.

Objective:To study the application of 3D printing technology in multi-center fenestrated/branched endovascular repair (F/B-EVAR) for endovascular repair of abdominal aortic diseases.Methods:From Feb 2018 to Mar 2023, The clinical and followup data of 316 cases of abdominal aortic lesions undergoing repair with F/B-EVAR at 69 medical centers nationwide using 3D printing technology to guide physician-modified stent graft were retrospectively analyzed.Results:The mean follow-up time of the patients was 23 months (2-60 months), and 24 cases were lost to follow up, the follow-up rate was 92.4% (292/316), the mean postoperative hospitalization time was (8.2±4.9) days. A total of 944 main abdominal branch arteries were reconstructed. Intraoperative reconstruction of 11 branches failed, with a success rate of 98.8% (933/944). Within 30 days after surgery, 8 patients died (2.5%), and 6 patients died during follow-up, a total of 14 patients died (4.4%). There were 11 cases (3.5%) of spinal cord ischemia and no patient suffered from permanent paraplegia. There were 19 patients (6.0%) with postoperative renal function injury. Internal leakage was found in 26 patients, and the rate of internal leakage was 8.2%.Conclusion:3D printing technology can accurately locate the location of branch arteries, simplifing the surgical process, shortening the learning curve , and improving clinical efficacy.

Disturbances of gut microbiota may affect the balance of the host immune system.The metabolism of gut microbiota produces many bioactive molecules interacting with host,typically secondary bile acids(SBAs).SBAs are involved in regulating the energy metabolism and the expression of inflammatory response-related genes by bind-ing to membrane receptors and nuclear receptors,such as takeda G protein-coupled receptor(TGR5)and farnesol X receptor(FXR),which are essential for maintaining host immune homeostasis.

Objective:To analyze the clinical features and genetic characteristics of a patient with Shwachman-Diamond syndrome (SDS) due to compound heterozygous variants of SBDS gene.Methods:A female child with SDS who was admitted to the Children's Hospital Affiliated to Zhengzhou University in February 2022 was selected as the study subject. Clinical data of the child was collected. Peripheral blood samples of the child and her elder sister and parents were collected and subjected to whole exome sequencing (WES). Candidate variant was verified by Sanger sequencing.Results:The child, a 1-year-and-1-month-old girl, had mainly manifested with diarrhea, hematochezia, growth retardation and malnutrition, along with increased transaminases and decreased neutrophils and hemoglobin. The anteroposterior X-ray of her left wrist indicated significantly delayed bone age. Colonoscopy revealed that her colorectal mucosa was erosive with oily food residues attached to the intestinal lumen. Genetic testing revealed that she has harbored c. 258+ 2T>C and c. 100A>G compound heterozygous variants of the SBDS gene. The c. 258+ 2T>C variant has derived from her father and known to be pathogenic, whilst the other has derived from her mother. Based on the guidelines from the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics, the c. 100A>G variant was classified as likely pathogenic (PM1+ PM2_Supporting+ PM3+ PM5+ PP3). Conclusion:The compound heterozygous variants of c. 258+ 2T>C and c. 100A>G probably underlay the SDS in this child. For children with refractory diarrhea, liver damage and growth retardation, SDS should be suspected, and genetic testing can facilitate the diagnosis and treatment.

Objective:To explore the current status of surgery for portal hypertension to grasp current status and future development of surgery in China.Methods:This study is jointly sponsored by China Hepatobiliary & Pancreatic Specialist Alliance & Portal Hypertension Alliance in China (CHESS).Comprehensive surveying is conducted for basic domestic situations of surgery for portal hypertension, including case load, surgical approaches, management of postoperative complications, primary effects, existing confusion and obstacles, liver transplantation(LT), laparoscopic procedures and transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt(TIPS), etc.Results:A total of 8 512 cases of portal hypertension surgery are performed at 378 hospitals nationwide in 2021.Splenectomy plus devascularization predominated(53.0%)and laparoscopy accounted for 76.1%.Primary goal is preventing rebleeding(67.0%) and 72.8% of hospitals used preventive anticoagulants after conventional surgery.And 80.7% of teams believe that the formation of postoperative portal vein thrombosis is a surgical dilemma and 65.3% of hospitals practiced both laparoscopy and TIPS.The major reasons for patients with portal hypertension not receiving LT are due to a lack of qualifications for LT(69.3%)and economic factors(69.0%).Conclusions:Surgery is an integral part of management of portal hypertension in China.However, it is imperative to further standardize the grasp of surgical indications, the handling of surgical operation and the management of postoperative complications.Moreover, prospective, multi-center randomized controlled clinical studies should be performed.

OBJECTIVE To systematically evaluate the efficacy and safety of vonoprazan in the treatment of gastroesophageal reflux disease， and to provide evidence-based reference for clinical drug use. METHODS Randomized controlled trials （RCTs） about vonoprazan （trial group） versus placebo or proton pump inhibitor （control group） were searched in PubMed， the Cochrane Library， Web of Science， CNKI， Wanfang， VIP and CBM databases from the inception to June， 2022. After literature screening and data extraction， the qualities of included literature were evaluated with bias assessment tool recommended by Cochrane system evaluator manual 5.1.0. Meta-analysis， sensitivity analysis and publication bias analysis were conducted by using RevMan 5.4 software. RESULTS A total of 9 RCTs were included， involving 1 882 patients. The results of meta-analysis showed that： total response rate [OR＝1.94，95%CI（1.45，2.58），P＜0.000 01]， cure rate [OR＝2.27，95%CI（1.33，3.86），P＝0.003] and remission rate [OR＝1.81，95%CI（1.28， 2.55）， P＝0.000 7] of trial group were significantly higher than control group； there was no significant difference in the incidence of adverse drug events， diarrhea， nasopharyngitis， upper respiratory tract infection and alkaline phosphatase elevation between two groups （P＞0.05）. The results of subgroup analysis showed that cure rate of trial group was significantly higher than control group at 2 weeks of treatment （P＜0.05）； at 4 and 8 weeks of treatment， there was no significant difference in the cure rate between two groups （P＞0.05）. There was no statistically significant difference in the cure rate between two groups at 2， 4 and 8 weeks of treatment among the patients with Los Angeles grade A/B （P＞0.05）； among the patients with Los Angeles grade C/D， the cure rate of patients in the trial group was significantly higher than control group at 2， 4 and 8 weeks of treatment （P＜0.05）. The results of sensitivity analysis and publication bias analysis showed that the results of this study were robust and the possibility of publication bias was small. CONCLUSIONS Vonoprazan has a considerable effectiveness and safety in the treatment of gastroesophageal reflux disease.

Objective:To explore the regulation of miR-454-3p on the activity of lung cancer cells and the expression of CBX7 protein.Methods:Normal lung epithelial cells 293T cells and human lung cancer cell line A549 cells were cultured in vitro. Lung cancer cells (A549 cells) were divided into three groups: blank group, miR-NC group and miR-454-3p group. Cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8) method was used to detect the proliferation of the three groups; Transwell was used to detect the invasion number of the three groups; flow cytometry was used to detect the apoptosis rate; Western blot was used to detect the protein expression of CBX7 in lung cancer cells. Results:Compared with normal lung epithelial 293T cells, the expression of miR-454-3p mRNA in lung cancer A549 cells was significantly reduced, with significant difference ( P<0.05). There was no significant difference in the expression of CBX7 protein between the blank group and the miR-NC group ( P>0.05); The protein expression of CBX7 in miR-454-3p group was significantly higher than that in blank group and miR-NC group (all P<0.05). The results of CCK-8 showed that the A value of miR-454-3p group was significantly lower than that of blank group and miR-NC group (all P<0.05); there was no significant difference in the A value of lung cancer cells between blank group and miR-NC group ( P>0.05). The results of Transwell chamber experiment showed that the number of invasion cells in miR-454-3p group was significantly reduced compared with blank group and miR-NC group, and the invasive ability of lung cancer cells decreased significantly (all P<0.05); there was no significant change in the invasive ability of lung cancer cells between the blank group and miR-NC group ( P>0.05). The results of flow cytometry showed that there was no significant difference in the apoptosis rate between the blank group and miR-NC group ( P>0.05); compared with the blank group and miR-NC group, the apoptosis rate of lung cancer cells in miR-454-3p group increased significantly (all P<0.05). Conclusions:miR-454-3p is under-expressed in lung cancer cells. Overexpression of miR-454-3p can effectively regulate the biological activity of lung cancer cells, inhibit the proliferation and invasion of lung cancer cells, and promote cell apoptosis. Its mechanism may be related to the promotion of CBX7 protein expression by miR-454-3p.

OBJECTIVE: To report on the clinical features and result of genetic testing for a child featuring immune dysregulation, polyendocrinopathy, enteropathy, X-linked (IPEX) syndrome. METHODS: Clinical records, genetic testing, laboratory investigation and treatment of the child were summarized in addition with a comprehensive review of the literature. RESULTS: The 3-year-old boy was administered due to intractable diarrhea, recurrent infections, liver dysfunction and failure to thrive, though no diabetes or skin disorder was observed. Laboratory testing showed elevated liver enzymes and total IgE, decreased albumin and electrolyte imbalance. Gastrointestinal endoscopy revealed erosion and granules in the duodenum, and edema in the terminal ileum and colon. Biopsies showed villous atrophy in the duodenum and terminal ileum. Genetic testing revealed that the patient has carried a missense c.1087A>G (p.I363V) variant in the exon 10 of the FOXP3 gene. He was treated with enteral and parenteral nutrition, anti infection and Sirolimus, and was waiting for hemopoietic stem cell transplantation. CONCLUSION Although IPEX syndrome usually occur during infancy, it should not be ruled out solely based on the age, and its presentation can be variable. For male children with refractory diarrhea, autoimmune disorder and growth retardation, the diagnosis should be suspected and confirmed by genetic testing.
Child, Preschool ; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1/genetics* ; Diarrhea/genetics* ; Forkhead Transcription Factors/genetics* ; Genetic Diseases, X-Linked/genetics* ; Genetic Testing ; Humans ; Immune System Diseases/genetics* ; Male ; Mutation ; Polyendocrinopathies, Autoimmune/genetics*

Objective:To investigate the clinical characteristics, endoscopic features and management of acquired tracheoesophageal fistula (TEF) by esophageal foreign bodies in children.Methods:The clinical data and follow-up data of 21 children with acquired TEF who were treated in Children′s Hospital Affiliated to Zhengzhou University from January 2008 to January 2019 were retrospectively analyzed.Results:A total of 21 cases with esophageal foreign bodies were button batteries, irregular iron sheets, game coins, jujube seed, animal bone sheets, and fish thorn.The statistical results suggested that the cases of button batteries were 7 cases (33.33%), 4 cases of jujube pit (19.05%), 3 cases of irregular iron (14.29%) and 3 cases of animal bone (14.29%), 2 cases of game coin (9.52%), 2 cases of fish thorn (9.52%). All foreign bodies were removed by endoscopy.Esophageal perforation with TEF was discovered in 17 cases (80.95%) during the operation.Esophageal perforation with TEF was found in 4 cases (19.05%) within 2 week after the operation, and no death occurred.A total of 13 case fistula size ≤5 mm (61.90%), 4 case fistula size>5 mm and ≤10 mm (19.05%) and 4 case fistula size >10 mm (19.05%). The treatment methods included gastrointestinal decompression and nasojejunal nutrition tube support in 10 cases (47.61%), gastrostomy and jejunostomy in 4 cases (19.05%), surgical repair in 4 cases (19.05%) and endoscopic titanium clip suture in 3 cases (14.29%). Five cases (23.81%) were healed in 3 months, 6 cases (28.57%) in 5 months, 4 cases (19.05%) in 8 months, and 2 cases (9.52%) in 12 months.Conclusions:Acquired TEF in children are mostly caused by special foreign bodies embedded in the esophagus, and endoscopic management is effective for fistulas with less trauma.Appropriate operation and intervention should be taken as early as possible.