[Analysis of 9 patients with adolescence-onset methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase deficiency]

Objective: To explore the diagnosis and treatment of adolescence-onset methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) deficiency. Methods: This was a retrospective case study. Nine patients with adolescence-onset MTHFR deficiency were diagnosed at Peking University First Hospital from January 2016 to December 2022, and followed up for more than 1 year. Their general information, clinical manifestations, laboratory tests, cranial images, MTHFR gene variants, diagnosis, treatment, and outcome were analyzed retrospectively. Results: The 9 patients came from 8 families. They had symptoms at age of 8.0 years to 17.0 years and diagnosed at 9.0 years to 17.5 years. Eight were male and 1 was female. Two patients were brothers, the elder brother developed abnormal gait at 17.0 years; and the younger brother was then diagnosed at 15.0 years of age and treated at the asymptomatic stage, who was 18.0 years old with normal condition during this study. The main manifestations of the 8 symptomatic patients included progressive dyskinesia and spastic paralysis of the lower limbs, with or without intellectual decline, cognitive impairment and behavioral abnormalities. Totally, 15 variants of MTHFR gene were identified in the 9 patients, including 8 novel variants. Five patients had brain image abnormalities. Increased plasma total homocysteine level (65-221 μmol/L) was found in all patients, and decreased to 20-70 μmol/L after treatment with betaine and calcium folinate. Besides, the 8 symptomatic patients had their behavior and cognitive problems significantly improved, with a legacy of lower limb motor disorders. Conclusions: Late-onset MTHFR deficiency can occur in adolescence. The diagnosis is usually delayed because of non-specific clinical symptoms. The test of blood total homocysteine could be used as a selective screening test. Eight novel varients of MTHFR gene were identified. Timely treatment can improve clinical condition significantly, and pre-symptomatic treatment may prevent brain damage.

[A case of follicular lymphoma with recurrent fever and pulmonary infiltrates]

We reported a case of a 65-year-old male who had been treated with obinutuzumab and chemotherapy for follicular lymphoma. He was infected with SARS-CoV-2 after the second course of therapy. He developed fever, cough and bilateral pulmonary infiltrates. His nasopharyngeal swab became negative only temporarily after repeated courses of antiviral therapy, and the symptoms and pulmonary infiltrates waxed and waned. He presented to our hospital with exertional dyspnea and hypoxemia after his nasopharyngeal swab was positive for SARS-CoV-2 for the fourth time. He had an elevated serum lactate dehydrogenase and a positive 1, 3-β-D-glucan test. The PCR test for Pneumocystis jirovecii in the sputum was positive. The patient was diagnosed with persistent COVID-19 and Pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia. He responded well to the combination treatment of antiviral medication, convalescent plasma, trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole and corticosteroids.

[Feasibility study of expectant management of different degrees of vaginal fluid in pregnant women with premature rupture of membranes in the second trimester]

Objective: To investigate the feasibility of expectant management of different degrees of vaginal fluid in pregnant women with premature rupture of membranes in the second trimester. Methods: A retrospective cohort study was conducted to collect 103 pregnant women who were diagnosed with premature rupture of membranes in the second trimester of pregnancy and insisted on continuing the pregnancy in Shanxi Bethune Hospital from July 2012 to July 2022. According to the degree of vaginal fluid, pregnant women were divided into rupture group (with typical vaginal fluid, 48 cases) and leakage group (without typical vaginal fluid, 55 cases). The rupture latency (the time from rupture of membranes to termination of pregnancy), gestational weeks of termination, indications and methods of termination of pregnancy, maternal infection related indicators and perinatal outcomes were compared between the two groups. Univariate regression model was used to analyze the correlation between different degrees of vaginal fluid in pregnant women with premature rupture of membranes and maternal and neonatal outcomes. Results: (1) Obstetric indicators: there was no significant difference in the gestational age of rupture of membranes between the two groups (P>0.05). However, the proportion of rupture latency >28 days in the leakage group was significantly higher than that in the rupture group [42% (23/55) vs 13% (6/48); χ2=33.673, P<0.001], and the incidence of pregnancy termination ≥28 weeks was significantly higher [47% (26/55) vs 19% (9/48); χ2=9.295, P=0.002]. (2) Indications and methods of termination: the incidence of progressive reduction of amniotic fluid as the indication for termination in the leakage group was significantly lower than that in the rupture group [22% (12/55) vs 42% (20/48); χ2=4.715, P=0.030], and the incidence of full-term termination in the leakage group was significantly higher than that in the rupture group [31% (17/55) vs 12% (6/48); χ2=5.008, P=0.025], while there were no significant differences in the indications of termination of pregnancy, including amniotic cavity infection, uterine contraction failure and fetal distress between the two groups (all P>0.05). The incidence of induced labor or spontaneous contraction in the leakage group was significantly lower than that in the rupture group [53% (29/55) vs 81% (39/48); χ2=9.295, P=0.002], while the cesarean section rate and vaginal delivery rate were similar between the two groups (both P>0.05). (3) Infection related indicators: the incidence of amniotic cavity infection in the leakage group was significantly higher than that in the rupture group [31% (17/55) vs 13% (6/48); χ2=4.003, P=0.045]. However, there were no significant differences in the elevation of inflammatory indicators, the positive rate of cervical secretion bacterial culture and the incidence of tissue chorioamnionitis between the two groups (all P>0.05). (4) Perinatal outcomes: the live birth rate in the leakage group was significantly higher than that in the rupture group [51% (28/55) vs 27% (13/48); χ2=5.119, P=0.024]. The proportion of live births with 1-minute Apgar score >7 in the leakage group was significantly higher than that in the rupture group [38% (21/55) vs 17% (8/48); χ2=4.850, P=0.028]. However, there were no significant differences in the birth weight of live births and the incidence of neonatal complications between the two groups (all P>0.05). (5) Univariate regression analysis showed that compared with the rupture group, the leakage group had a higher risk of pregnancy termination at ≥28 gestational weeks (RR=2.521, 95%CI: 1.314-4.838; P=0.002), amniotic infection (RR=2.473, 95%CI: 1.061-5.764; P=0.025), perinatal survival (RR=1.880, 95%CI: 1.104-3.199; P=0.014). Conclusion: Compared with pregnant women with typical vaginal fluid in the second trimester of premature rupture of membranes, expectant treatment for pregnant women with atypical vaginal fluid is more feasible, which could effectively prolong the gestational weeks and improve the perinatal live birth rate.

[Efficacy and short-term outcomes of myocardial protection using single-dose histidine-tryptophan-ketoglutarate cardioplegia during aortic root surgery with different duration of myocardial ischemia]

Objective: To explore the efficacy of myocardial protection with single-dose histidine-tryptophan-ketoglutarate (HTK) cardioplegia during aortic root operation, and the correlation between short-term clinical outcomes and duration of myocardial ischemia. Methods: The data of clinical cases undergoing myocardial protection with single-dose HTK cardioplegia during aortic root operation from January 2018 to December 2022 were retrospectively reviewed. Patients were divided into conventional HTK cardioplegia group (<3 h) and prolonged HTK cardioplegia group (≥3 h) according to duration of intraoperative myocardial ischemia. A 1∶1 propensity score matching was performed and the correlations between duration of myocardial ischemia and postoperative short-term outcomes (30-day mortality, readmission, mechanical circulation support and renal insufficiency) were analyzed. Results: A total of 282 patients were included in the final analysis, with 210 cases in the conventional HTK cardioplegia group and 72 cases inthe prolonged HTK cardioplegia group before matching. After matching, there were 64 cases (53 males and 11 females) in the conventional HTK cardioplegia group, with a mean age of (49.4±14.2) years. The prolonged HTK cardioplegia group had 64 cases (55 males and 9 females), with a mean age of (50.5±12.3) years. Higher sensitivity troponin [12 h: 10.1 (4.6, 18.7) μg/Lvs 4.1(2.2, 8.6) μg/L, P=0.002; 24 h: 7.7 (4.5, 19.0) μg/L vs 4.8 (2.2, 11.9) μg/L, P=0.025] and creatine kinase isoenzyme[12 h: 46.3 (28.1, 62.4) μg/L vs 20.7(14.1, 32.9) μg/L, P<0.001; 24 h: 26.3(13.4, 49.2) μg/L vs 14.5 (10.1, 33.5)μg/L, P=0.011] after surgery was detected in prolonged HTK cardioplegia group. Comparisons of other primary and secondary endpoint events showed no significant differences between the two groups (all P>0.05). Multivariate binary logistic regression showed that duration of myocardial ischemia had no significant effect on postoperative 30-day mortality (OR=1.255, 95%CI: 0.500-3.148, P=0.629), 30-day readmission (OR=0.378, 95%CI: 0.069-2.065, P=0.261) and mechanical circulation support (OR=0.991, 95%CI: 0.331-2.970, P=0.998). Conclusion: During aortic root surgery, single-dose HTK cardioplegia may provide satisfactory myocardial protection, and there was no significant correlation between duration of myocardial ischemia and short-term clinical outcomes.

[Treatment strategy of congenital tracheal stenosis associated with non-vascular ring cardiac malformations]

Objective: To examine the treatment strategy of congenital tracheal stenosis associated with non-vascular ring cardiac malformations. Methods: This is a retrospective case series. Clinic data from 24 children with tracheal stenosis who underwent surgical treatment in the Department of Cardiac Surgery, Children's Hospital Affiliated to Shandong University from February 2017 to March 2023 were retrospectively collected. There were 16 males and 8 females, aged (M(IQR)) 6.5 (19.6) months (range: 2.2 to 66.3 months) and weighted 5.95 (4.76) kg (range: 3.2 to 20.0 kg). All patients had obvious respiratory symptoms. Eighteen patients underwent cardiac malformation correction and tracheoplasty at the same time (simultaneous group). Six patients in the staged operation group were treated with cardiac malformation correction in the first stage operation and tracheoplasty in the second stage operation due to missed diagnosis or delayed diagnosis of tracheal stenosis or no condition for tracheoplasty. Slide tracheoplasty was used to correct tracheal stenosis in both groups. The recovery of the children was followed. Wilcoxon sign rank test was used for comparison between the two groups. Results: There was no death during the perioperative period and hospitalization. In the simultaneous group, 1 case with delayed chest closure underwent bedside chest closure after 52 hours, 2 cases were intubated again after operation, and 1 case was implanted with an endotracheal stent. The duration of mechanical ventilation was 40.5 (39.6) hours (range: 19.0 to 438.8 hours). In the staged group, there was 1 case of re-intubation after operation, combined with left vocal cord paralysis and respiratory multidrug-resistant bacterial infection (Acinetobacter baumanii). One patient underwent 3 times of bronchoscopic balloon dilatation of the right middle bronchus, and heart rate returned to normal range. The duration of mechanical ventilation was 19.0 (21.4) hours (range: 17.1 to 96.7 hours). During follow-up, a patient in the simultaneous group was prone to respiratory infection and had good exercise tolerance, 1 patient in the staged group still had sputum stridor in the throat 3 months after the operation, and symptoms improved significantly 6 months after the operation. The other children didn't have obvious respiratory symptoms. Conclusions: The diagnosis of tracheal stenosis may be delayed or missed when tracheal stenosis is complicated by non-vascular ring cardiac malformations. One-stage correction of tracheal stenosis and cardiac malformation can achieve a good outcome.

YAP1/Piezo1 involve in the dynamic changes of lymphatic vessels in UVR-induced photoaging progress to squamous cell carcinoma

BACKGROUND

UV-induced cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (cSCC) is one of the most common skin cancers. The constant alterations of the lymphatic-centered immune microenvironment are essential in transforming from photoaging to cSCC. Studying the mechanism will be beneficial for new targets exploration to the early prediction of cSCC.

AIMS

To investigate the dynamic changes and mechanism of the lymphatic-centered immune microenvironment in transforming from photoaging to cSCC induced by ultraviolet irradiation (UVR).

METHODS

TIMER2.0 was used to analyze whether YAP1/VEGFC signaling pathway is involved in lymphangiogenesis in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). Meanwhile, lymphatic-centered immune microenvironments alterations and the related cumulative survival time were also analyzed. With the accumulated UVR, skin photoaging developed and gradually progressed into actinic keratosis and cSCC on SKH-1 hairless mice. The skin lymphatic-centered immune microenvironment was evaluated at the 0th, 8th, 12th, 16-18th, and 20-24th week of UVR. Skin phenotype was assessed using optical coherence tomography (OCT) and skin image. H&E and Masson's trichrome staining evaluated epidermis and dermis. The structure of lymphatic vessels (LVs), blood vessels, and different types of T cells were evaluated by immunohistochemistry staining. The expression of Piezo1 whose deletion in adult lymphatics led to substantial valve degeneration, VE-cadherin that maintained the permeability of LVs, and YAP1 were evaluated by immunohistochemistry staining as well. Besides, the drainage function of LVs was assessed by Evans Blue assay in vivo.

RESULTS

The lymphatic function and immune cell infiltration underwent adaptive changes under continuous UVR. TIMER2.0 analysis indicated that VEGFC genes high expressed in HNSCC. YAP1 gene expression was positive correlated with VEGFC in HNSCC. LV density increased in human cSCC. More LVs in HNSCC were beneficial to prolong the survival time. VEGFC gene overexpression was positive correlated to CD8+T cell infiltration. More CD8A+T cells and CD8B+T cell infiltration in HNSCC extended survival time. When YAP1 gene overexpression and high infiltration of endothelial cells took place simultaneously might prolong the survival time of HNSCC patients. And high infiltration of CD8+T cells prolonged the survival time as well. In animal studies, UVR-induced eight weeks (photoaging) and 16-18 weeks (precancerous) were two turning points. The density of LVs in UV-8w was the least. When photoaged skin developed into AK lesions (UV-16-18w), LV slightly exceeded healthy skin and proliferated sharply in cSCC (UV-20-24w). YAP1 expression was almost consistent with LV but rose after the photoaging stage. The drainage of cSCC mice induced by UVR was better than that of photoaged skin and worse than that of health skin. The dynamic alterations of LVs number, Piezo1 expression, and collagen might be reasons for it. The expression of Piezo1 was in the highest point after 8 weeks of UVR, then gradually descended to the platform. The total T cells increased slowly, but the infiltration of CD4+T cells increased, and CD8+T cells decreased after eight weeks of UVR. The CD8+T cells and CD4+T cells increased sharply in UV-16-18w and UV-20-24w groups.

CONCLUSION

The lymphatic-centered immune microenvironment underwent adaptive changes under continuous UVR via regulating YAP1/VEGFC and Piezo1. During the formation of cSCC, there are two turning points, eight weeks (photoaging) and 16-18 weeks (precancerous). YAP1, Piezo1, LVs, and immune cells constantly changed with the skin state induced by UVR. According to these changes the process of cSCC can be identified in advance and intervene timely.

[Surgical treatment strategy of pulmonary artery sling: a series of 110 cases]

Objective: To examine the effect of surgical treatment in children with pulmonary artery sling and the surgical treatment strategy. Methods: Relevant data of 110 children with pulmonary artery sling admitted to the Department of Cardiac Surgery, Children's Hospital Affiliated to Shandong University from February 2017 to July 2022 were retrospectively analyzed. There were 55 males and 55 females, aging (M(IQR)) 9.0 (10.6) months (range: 1 to 96 months). The weight was 7.8 (3.5) kg (range: 2.5 to 25.0 kg). Of the 110 patients, 108 had different degrees of tracheal stenosis and 2 had normal trachea. Left pulmonary artery transplantation and tracheoplasty were performed in 78 patients. Left pulmonary artery transplantation was performed in 30 patients (11 in our hospital and 19 in other hospitals) due to the lack of an early tracheoplasty technique, in which 24 patients needed stage Ⅱ tracheoplasty due to obvious respiratory symptoms and limited activity endurance, and 6 cases did not intervene. Two children with normal trachea only underwent left pulmonary artery transplantation. Results: Among the 78 children who underwent surgery in the same period, 70 cases recovered smoothly after surgery, of whom respiratory symptoms were significantly reduced or disappeared during the 1 to 65 months follow-up, with similar activity endurance to normal children of the same age. Eight cases died, including 4 cases of postoperative multi-drug resistant bacteria infection, died from tracheal anastomotic opening or septic shock, 1 cases with severe congenital heart disease died from postoperative low cardiac output syndrome difficult to correct, 1 case died from blood pressure could not be maintained due to the compressed left pulmonary artery after transplantation, 2 cases of postoperative digestive system diseases (adhesive intestinal obstruction, gastrointestinal bleeding, etc.). The 24 patients in the staging group were followed for 1 to 84 months. All patients needed stage Ⅱ tracheoplasty due to respiratory symptoms and decreased endurance to activity. Eight cases of the non-intervention tracheal group were successfully separated from the ventilator, cured and discharged in a short period of time. Conclusions: Most children with pulmonary artery sling have tracheal stenosis. Children with low degree of tracheal stenosis and inconspicuous respiratory symptoms can only undergo left pulmonary artery transplantation by lateral thoracotomy. For patients combined with severe tracheal stenosis or obvious respiratory symptoms, a simultaneous left pulmonary artery transplantat and tracheoplasty is recommended.

[Endoscopic diagnosis, treatment and evaluation of iatrogenic biliary stricture]

Iatrogenic biliary stricture is a serious complication after biliary surgery. It can cause recurrent cholangitis, bile duct stones, cholestatic cirrhosis, and even liver failure. The overall effect of traditional surgery is satisfactory, but there are also shortcomings such as large trauma, high difficulty of surgery and poor acceptance of patients. With the development of endoscopic minimally invasive technology, choledochoscopy and duodenoscopy have become important treatment methods for iatrogenic biliary stricture, with the advantages of small trauma, high safety and strong repeatability. How to give full play to the advantages of endoscopic therapy, improve the success rate of stenosis treatment and reduce the recurrence rate is still a topic worthy of discussion.

[Analysis on missed diagnosis or misdiagnosis of anomalous origin of left coronary artery from pulmonary artery by echocardiography from one single medical center]

Objectives: To analyze the reasons of missed diagnosis or misdiagnosis on anomalous origin of left coronary artery from pulmonary artery (ALCAPA) by echocardiography. Methods: This is a retrospective study. Patients with ALCAPA who underwent surgical treatment in Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology from August 2008 to December 2021 were included. According to the results of preoperative echocardiography and surgical diagnosis, the patients were divided into confirmed group or missed diagnosis/misdiagnosis group. The results of preoperative echocardiography were collected, and the specific echocardiographic signs were analyzed. According to the experience of the doctors, the echocardiographic signs were divided into four types, namely clear displayed, vague/doubtful displayed, no display and no notice, and the display rate of each sign was calculated (display rate=number of clearly displayed cases/total number of cases×100%). By referring the surgical data, we analyzed and recorded the pathological anatomy and pathophysiological characteristics of the patients, and the rate of missed diagnosis/misdiagnosis of echocardiography in patients with different characteristics was compared. Results: A total of 21 patients were enrolled, including 11 males, aged 1.8 (0.8, 12.3) years (range 1 month to 47 years). Except for one patient with anomalous origin of left anterior descending artery, the others were all originated from the main left coronary artery (LCA). There were 13 cases of ALCAPA in infant and children, and 8 cases of adult ALCAPA. There were 15 cases in the confirmed group (diagnostic accuracy was 71.4% (15/21)), and 6 cases in the missed diagnosis/misdiagnosis group (three cases were misdiagnosed as primary endocardial fibroelastosis, two cases were misdiagnosed as coronary-pulmonary artery fistula; and one case was missed diagnosis). The working years of the physicians in the confirmed group were longer than those in the missed diagnosis/misdiagnosed group ((12.8±5.6) years vs. (8.3±4.7) years, P=0.045). In infants with ALCAPA, the detection rate of LCA-pulmonary shunt (8/10 vs. 0, P=0.035) and coronary collateral circulation (7/10 vs. 0, P=0.042) in confirmed group was higher than that in missed diagnosis/misdiagnosed group. In adult ALCAPA patients, the detection rate of LCA-pulmonary artery shunt was higher in confirmed group than that in missed diagnosis/misdiagnosed group (4/5 vs. 0, P=0.021). The missed diagnosis/misdiagnosis rate of adult type was higher than that of infant type (3/8 vs. 3/13, P=0.410). The rate of missed diagnosis/misdiagnosis was higher in patients with abnormal origin of branches than that of abnormal origin of main trunk (1/1 vs. 5/21, P=0.028). The rate of missed diagnosis/misdiagnosis in patients with LCA running between the main and pulmonary arteries was higher than that distant from the main pulmonary artery septum (4/7 vs. 2/14, P=0.064). The rate of missed diagnosis/misdiagnosis in patients with severe pulmonary hypertension was higher than that in patients without severe pulmonary hypertension (2/3 vs. 4/18, P=0.184). The reasons with an echocardiography missed diagnosis/misdiagnosis rate of≥50% included that (1) the proximal segment of LCA ran between the main and pulmonary arteries; (2) abnormal opening of LCA at the right posterior part of the pulmonary artery; (3) abnormal origin of LCA branches; (4) complicated with severe pulmonary hypertension. Conclusions: Echocardiography physicians' knowledge of ALCAPA and diagnostic vigilance are critical to the accuracy of diagnosis. Attention should be paid to the pediatric cases with no obvious precipitating factors of left ventricular enlargement, regardless of whether the left ventricular function is normal or not, the origin of coronary artery should be routinely explored.

[Metamorphopsia caused by macular choroidal macrovessel: a case report]

A 75-year-old male patient presented to the hospital with metamorphopsia of the left eye for 1 month. The corrected visual acuity of left eye was 0.5. Fundus examination showed leopard fundus, small patches of pigmentation were present in the macular area, depigmentation around the macula,choroidal macrovessel emerged from the macular area in a horizontal, temporal, serpentine pattern, optical coherence tomography showed an abnormally enlarged hypo-reflective cavity occupying the full thickness of the choroid in the subfovea as well as in the temporal side of the macula. Early fundus indocyanine green angiography showed rapid filling fluorescence tracks distributed from macula to the temporal side. The patient was diagnosed with macular choroidal macrovessel based on medical history, ocular multimodal examination and general examination. The patient was not given special treatment, and was instructed to control blood pressure in the department of internal medicine and to follow up regularly in the outpatient clinic of fundus disease.

[Diagnostic value of lipoprotein-associated phospholipase A2 in OPBR combined with gallbladder cholesterol deposition]

Objective: To study the diagnostic value of lipoprotein-associated phospholipase A2(LP-PL-A2) in occult pancreaticobiliary reflux(OPBR) combined with gallbladder cholesterol deposition. Methods: This was a case-control study. Forty-six patients with OPBR who underwent gallbladder surgery at Shanghai East Hospital from December 2020 to October 2021, with gallbladder cholesterol deposition as the case group and the remainder as the control group, were included for analysis of their clinical data. Results: There were 21 cases in the case group, with 10 males and 11 females, and aged (57±12) years; 25 cases in the control group, with 11 males and 14 females, and aged (56±10) years. Serum LP-PL-A2 [(551.62±128.69) U/L] was significantly higher in the case group than in the control group [(436.70±135.88) U/L] (t=-2.80,P<0.01).Univariate analysis showed that LP-PL-A2 was a risk factor for OPBR combined with gallbladder cholesterol deposition, OR(95%CI):1.007(1.002-1.012), P=0.011. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) curve was 0.742, P=0.005. Conclusion: LP-PL-A2 is of diagnostic value in OPBR combined with gallbladder cholesterol deposition.

[Clinical analysis of the correlation between gallbladder adenomyomatosis and occult pancreaticobiliary reflux]

Objective: To explore the association between gallbladder adenomyomatosis (GA) and occult pancreaticobiliary reflux (OPBR). Methods: A total of 81 patients with GA who underwent cholecystectomy in Shanghai East Hospital from December 2020 to January 2022 were enrolled, including 48 cases of fundal type, 28 cases of segmental type and 5 cases of diffuse type. Patient's intraoperative bile was coltected and tested for amylase. According to gallbladder bile amylase level, patients were divided into OPBR group (bile amylase>110 U/L) and the control group (bile amylase≤110 U/L). Results: Among 81 patients, 32 were male and 49 were female, and aged (49.1±13.2) years; there were 66 cases in control group, including 27 males and 39 females, and aged (50.0±12.9)years; there were 15 patients in the OPBR group, including 5 males and 10 females, and aged (45.1±14.2) years. In terms of the clinical features of the two groups, there was no significant difference (all P>0.05), except for a significant increase in biliary amylase in the OPBR group compared with the control group (P<0.001). However, the incidence of OPBR was significantly different in the three types of GA, with a lower incidence of OPBR in the fundal type (10.4%, 5/48) than in the segmental type (28.6%, 8/28) and diffuse type (2/5) (P=0.038). In addition, segmental GA was more likely to be combined with gallbladder stones (85.7%, 24/28) than fundal GA (58.3%, 28/48) and diffuse GA (3/5) (P=0.031). Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses showed OPBR [OR (95%CI)=3.410 (1.010 to 11.513), P=0.048] and combined gallbladder stones [OR (95%CI)=2.974 (1.011 to 8.745), P=0.048] indepenclently correlated with segmental and diffuse GA. Conclusions: The incidence of OPBR is higher in segmental and diffuse GA, and gallstones and OPBR are independently associated with the occurrence of segmental and diffuse GA. These results suggest that OPBR may be the initiating factor for the occurrence and carcinogenesis of segmental and diffuse GA.

[Read-through circular RNA rt-circ-HS promotes hypoxia inducible factor 1α expression and renal carcinoma cell proliferation, migration and invasiveness]

OBJECTIVE

To identify and characterize read-through RNAs and read-through circular RNAs (rt-circ-HS) derived from transcriptional read-through hypoxia inducible factor 1α (HIF1α) and small nuclear RNA activating complex polypeptide 1 (SNAPC1) the two adjacent genes located on chromosome 14q23, in renal carcinoma cells and renal carcinoma tissues, and to study the effects of rt-circ-HS on biological behavior of renal carcinoma cells and on regulation of HIF1α.

METHODS

Reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and Sanger sequencing were used to examine expression of read-through RNAs HIF1α-SNAPC1 and rt-circ-HS in different tumor cells. Tissue microarrays of 437 different types of renal cell carcinoma (RCC) were constructed, and chromogenic in situ hybridization (ISH) was used to investigate expression of rt-circ-HS in different RCC types. Small interference RNA (siRNA) and artificial overexpression plasmids were designed to examine the effects of rt-circ-HS on 786-O and A498 renal carcinoma cell proliferation, migration and invasiveness by cell counting kit 8 (CCK8), EdU incorporation and Transwell cell migration and invasion assays. RT-PCR and Western blot were used to exa-mine expression of HIF1α and SNAPC1 RNA and proteins after interference of rt-circ-HS with siRNA, respectively. The binding of rt-circ-HS with microRNA 539 (miR-539), and miR-539 with HIF1α 3' untranslated region (3' UTR), and the effects of these interactions were investigated by dual luciferase reporter gene assays.

RESULTS

We discovered a novel 1 144 nt rt-circ-HS, which was derived from read-through RNA HIF1α-SNAPC1 and consisted of HIF1α exon 2-6 and SNAPC1 exon 2-4. Expression of rt-circ-HS was significantly upregulated in 786-O renal carcinoma cells. ISH showed that the overall positive expression rate of rt-circ-HS in RCC tissue samples was 67.5% (295/437), and the expression was different in different types of RCCs. Mechanistically, rt-circ-HS promoted renal carcinoma cell proliferation, migration and invasiveness by functioning as a competitive endogenous inhibitor of miR-539, which we found to be a potent post-transcriptional suppressor of HIF1α, thus promoting expression of HIF1α.

CONCLUSION

The novel rt-circ-HS is highly expressed in different types of RCCs and acts as a competitive endogenous inhibitor of miR-539 to promote expression of its parental gene HIF1α and thus the proliferation, migration and invasion of renal cancer cells.

Global survival trends for brain tumors, by histology: analysis of individual records for 556,237 adults diagnosed in 59 countries during 2000-2014 (CONCORD-3)

BACKGROUND

Survival is a key metric of the effectiveness of a health system in managing cancer. We set out to provide a comprehensive examination of worldwide variation and trends in survival from brain tumors in adults, by histology.

METHODS

We analyzed individual data for adults (15-99 years) diagnosed with a brain tumor (ICD-O-3 topography code C71) during 2000-2014, regardless of tumor behavior. Data underwent a 3-phase quality control as part of CONCORD-3. We estimated net survival for 11 histology groups, using the unbiased nonparametric Pohar Perme estimator.

RESULTS

The study included 556,237 adults. In 2010-2014, the global range in age-standardized 5-year net survival for the most common sub-types was broad: in the range 20%-38% for diffuse and anaplastic astrocytoma, from 4% to 17% for glioblastoma, and between 32% and 69% for oligodendroglioma. For patients with glioblastoma, the largest gains in survival occurred between 2000-2004 and 2005-2009. These improvements were more noticeable among adults diagnosed aged 40-70 years than among younger adults.

CONCLUSIONS

To the best of our knowledge, this study provides the largest account to date of global trends in population-based survival for brain tumors by histology in adults. We have highlighted remarkable gains in 5-year survival from glioblastoma since 2005, providing large-scale empirical evidence on the uptake of chemoradiation at population level. Worldwide, survival improvements have been extensive, but some countries still lag behind. Our findings may help clinicians involved in national and international tumor pathway boards to promote initiatives aimed at more extensive implementation of clinical guidelines.

[Nontuberculous mycobacteria infection and pulmonary alveolar proteinosis in a patient with hematopoietic defects]

A 28-year-old male with a history of leukopenia was admitted with complaints of fever, cough, and dyspnea for 3 months. Initial work-up identified reduced circulating levels of granulocytes, monocytes, lymphocytes, and NK cells. Computed tomography revealed bilateral reticulonodular opacities and mediastinal lymph node enlargement. Peripheral blood culture and mediastinal lymph node aspiration yielded Mycobacterium avium. Genetic testing revealed a heterozygous germline GATA2 mutation (c.1187G>A, R396Q). Despite standard anti-mycobacterial therapy, the patient's dyspnea worsened and subsequent imaging studies revealed diffuse ground-glass opacification. A transbronchial lung biopsy confirmed the development of pulmonary alveolar proteinosis. Bone marrow transplantation had not been performed due to the unavailability of suitable donors. The disease progressed after whole lung lavage, and the patient died at the age of 31 years from respiratory failure. The current case report emphasized the importance of raising awareness about the rare GATA2 deficiency, which is characterized by hematologic abnormalities, primary immunodeficiency, and pulmonary alveolar proteinosis.

[The study of mitochondrial disorder pedigree associated with FASTKD2 variants and uniparental disomy]

Objective: To analyse the genetic cause of a proband with mitochondrial disease caused by FASTKD2 gene variation and uniparental disomy. Methods: Detailed medical history of a child suspected "mitochondrial disease" were inquired in Peking University First Hospital on November 23, 2017. c.810_820dup homozygous variation in FASTKD2 gene was found by high-throughput sequencing, and her mother had heterozygous variation, but her father didn't have such variation, which didn't conform to the genetic law of variation. Further clinical examinations and molecular genetic tests were carried out. The venous blood of the child and her parents was drawn, and genomic DNA was extracted. Sanger sequencing, polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing, short tandem repeat (STR) analysis, chromosome microarray analysis and loss of heterozygosity (LOH) genetic relationship analysis were performed on the proband and the parents to determine the variation. Results: The clinical manifestations, physical examination and laboratory examination of the child supported the diagnosis of mitochondrial disease. c.810_820dup(p.Ser274Phefs*8) homozygous variant in FASTKD2 gene was identified. Sanger sequencing indicated that the mother was a heterozygote of the variant, while the father had no such variation, which did not conform to the genetic law. PCR testing and Sanger sequencing review to eliminate sampling errors, PCR amplification and sequencing errors. Non-biological father was excluded by STR analysis. Three large segmental LOH of FASTKD2 gene were found by chromosome microarray analysis, then the LOH relative analysis verified the child was a mixed maternal uniparental disomy of chromosome 2. The child was diagnosed as mitochondrial disease caused by oxidative phosphorylation coupling defect of type 44. Conclusions: In this study, an autosomal recessive mitochondrial disease which does not conform to the genetic law was found, and it was confirmed that this mitochondrial disease family had both pathogenic variation and uniparental disomy phenomenon. It was diagnosed as mitochondrial disease caused by type 44 oxidative phosphorylation coupling defect.

[Immunogenicity of group A+C meningococcal polysaccharide conjugate vaccine in infants: A phase Ⅲ clinical trial study]

Objective: To evaluate the immunogenicity of group A+C meningococcal polysaccharide conjugate vaccine in infants under 2 years old. Methods: From March 2017 to June 2018, 1 932 healthy infants in Biyang County, Henan Province, who were not vaccinated with meningococcal meningitis vaccine and whose axillary temperature was ≤37.0 ℃, were recruited as participants. The 3 months and 6-11 months old infants were allocated to the experiment group and the control group in a ratio of 1∶1. Infants aged 12-23 months were allocated to the 1-dose group, the 2-dose group and the control group in a ratio of 1∶1∶1, with 276 infants in each group. The infants in the experiment group were intramuscularly injected with freeze-dried group A+C meningococcal polysaccharide conjugate vaccine to be evaluated, and infants in the control group received intramuscular injection of commercially available freeze-dried group A+C meningococcal conjugate vaccine. The venous blood of infants was collected 30 days before the first dose and after the last dose of inoculation, and the antibody seroconversion of each group was determined and compared. Results: The completion rate of immunogenicity study was 95.2% (1 839/1 932). Before inoculation, there was no statistical difference in the geometric mean titer and positive rate of group A+C antibodies between the experiment group and the control group in 3 months and 6-11 months old infants (all P values >0.05). The geometric mean titers and positive rate of group A antibodies in the 1-dose group were higher than those in the control group (all P values <0.05), but there was no statistical difference between the 2-dose group and the control group (all P values >0.05) in infants aged 12-23 months. After inoculation, the differences (95%CI) in the positive conversion rate of group A+C antibodies between the experiment group and the control group were -0.12% (-6.01%-5.77%) and 0.82% (-4.23%-5.86%) in the 3 months old infants. At the age of 6-11 months, the differences were 6.75% (1.71%-11.79%) and -4.32% (-8.73%-0.08%), respectively. At the age of 12-23 months, the differences were 1.02% (-3.80%-5.83%) and -4.40% (-7.79%- -1.01%) in the 2-dose group and -7.22% (-12.90%- -1.54%) and -18.61% (-23.75%- -13.46%) in the 1-dose group, respectively. The geometric mean titers of group A+C antibodies in the 3 months old infants were 48.50 and 63.12, respectively, which had no significant difference from the control group (43.02 and 57.99, respectively) (both P values <0.05). The geometric mean titers of group A+C antibodies in the 6-11 months and 12-23 months old infants were 84.09 and 92.51 (2-dose group), which were higher than those in the corresponding control group (43.10 and 61.83, respectively) (all P values <0.001). Conclusion: Group A+C meningococcal conjugate vaccine has good immunogenicity in infants under 2 years old.

[Phenotypes and genotypes of 78 patients with propionic acidemia]

Objective: Propionic acidemia is a rare inherited metabolic disorder caused by propionyl CoA carboxylase (PCC) deficiency. This study aims to analyze the clinical characteristics and gene variations of Chinese patients with propionic acidemia, and to explore the correlation between clinical phenotypes and genotypes. Methods: Single-center, retrospective and observational study. Seventy-eight patients of propionic acidemia (46 males and 32 females) from 20 provinces and autonomous regions were admitted from January 2007 to April 2022. Their age of initial diagnosis ranged from 7 days to 15 years. The clinical manifestations, biochemical and metabolic abnormalities, genetic variations, diagnosis, treatment and outcome were studied. Chi-Square test or Mann-Whitney U test were used for statistical analysis. Results: Among 78 cases, 6 (7.7%) were identified by newborn screening; 72 (92.3%) were clinically diagnosed after onset, and the age of onset was 2 hours after birth to 15 years old; 32 cases had early-onset disease and 40 cases had late-onset disease. The initial manifestations included lethargy, hypotonia, vomiting, feeding difficulties, developmental delay, epilepsy, and coma. Among the 74 cases who accepted gene analysis, 35 (47.3%) had PCCA variants and 39 (52.7%) had PCCB variants. A total of 39 PCCA variants and 32 PCCB variants were detected, among which c.2002G>A and c.229C>T in PCCA and c.838dupC and c.1087T>C in PCCB were the most common variants in this cohort. The variants c.1228C>T and c.1283C>T in PCCB may be related to early-onset type. The variants c.838dupC, c.1127G>T and c.1316A>G in PCCB, and c.2002G>A in PCCA may be related to late-onset disease. Six patients detected by newborn screening and treated at asymptomatic stage developed normal. The clinically diagnosed 72 cases had varied complications. 10 (12.8%) cases of them died. 62 patients improved after metabolic therapy by L-carnitine and diet. Six patients received liver transplantation because of recurrent metabolic crisis. Their clinical symptoms were markedly improved. Conclusion: The clinical manifestations of propionic acidemia are complex and lack of specificity. Newborn screening and high-risk screening are keys for early treatment and better outcome. The correlation between the genotype and phenotype of propionic acidemia is unclear, but certain variants may be associated with early-onset or late-onset propionic acidemia.

[Effect of fully covered self-expandable metal stents completely inserted into the common bile duct in the treatment of benign biliary stricture]

Objective: To investigate the safety and efficacy of fully covered self-expandable metal stents(FCSEMS) completely inserted into the common bile duct in the treatment of benign biliary stricture(BBS). Methods: From December 2018 to December 2020, 22 cases of BBS treated by FCSEMS completely inserted into the common bile duct were analyzed retrospectively in the cholelithic center of Shanghai East Hospital Affiliated to Tongji University, including 12 males and 10 females, with average ages of (50.9±8.6) years. Results: All 22 cases of FCSEMS insertion were successful. The average indwelling time was (221.9±19.8) d. There were no complications of enterobiliary reflux such as liver abscess, acute cholangitis, and common bile duct obstruction. FSCEMS proximal displacement occurred in 2 cases (9.1%) with the removal time of 62 min and 115 min, respectively. There was no FCSEMS proximal displacement in 20 cases (90.9), with an average removal time of (29.7±6.3) min. All the 22 cases were followed up for 16.0 (8.0, 25.3) months, and there was no recurrence of stenosis. Conclusion: FCSESM completely inserted into the common bile duct is an effective method for the treatment of BBS, which can avoid the occurrence of enterobiliary reflux.

[Clinical characteristics and CBS gene analysis of 13 cases with classic homocystinuria]

Objective: To analyze the clinical features and CBS gene variants of 13 patients with classic homocystinuria, and the strategies of individual treatment and prevention were explored. Methods: The general information, clinical manifestations, laboratory tests, cranial images, CBS gene variants, diagnosis and therapeutic strategies of 13 patients with classic homocystinuria admitted to the Department of Pediatrics of Children's Hospital Affiliated to Zhengzhou University and Peking University First Hospital from November 2013 to June 2021 were analyzed retrospectively. Results: There were 13 patients diagnosed at the age of 10 days to 14 years, 6 were male and 7 were female. There were 3 patients detected by newborn screening and received treatment at the asymptomatic stage. There were 10 patients clinically diagnosed at the age of 5 to 14 years. Their symptoms appeared at age of 1 to 6 years. The major clinical manifestations were marfanoid features, lens dislocation and (or) myopia, developmental delay, osteoporosis, and cardiovascular diseases. Brain magnetic resonance imaging showed asymmetric infarcts in 4 patients and hypomyelination in 1 case. Increased blood methionine, plasma total homocysteine and urinary total homocysteine with normal urinary methylmalonic acid were found in 13 patients. The biochemical features were consistent with classic homocystinuria. Totally 18 variants were identified in CBS gene of 13 patients, 10 variants were novel and 8 were reported. only 1 patient was partially responsive to vitamin B₆ treatment, while 12 cases were non-responsive. They were mainly treated with low methionine diet and betaine supplement. Three vitamin B₆ non-responsive cases received liver transplantation at age of 3, 8 and 8 years, respectively. Their blood methionine and total homocysteine returned to normal within a week after liver transplantation. One patient died. Prenatal diagnosis was performed for a fetus when the mother was pregnant again. Two pathogenic CBS gene variants were identified from the amniocytes as same as the proband. Conclusions: The clinical manifestations of classic homocystinuria are complex and variable. Blood amino acid analysis, serum or urine total homocysteine assay and gene analysis are critical for its diagnosis. There were 10 novel CBS gene varients were identified expanding the CBS gene varient spectrum. Liver transplantation is an effective treatment. Prenatal diagnosis is important to prevent classic homocysteinuria.

[Pay attention to endoscopic diagnosis and treatment for confluence disease of pancreaticobiliary ducts]

The confluence of pancreaticobiliary ducts refers to the area between the end of common bile duct, the opening of main pancreatic duct and duodenal papilla. Those confluence diseases of pancreaticobiliary ducts will cause obstruction of biliary and pancreatic outflow tract, cholestasis, pancreatic juice deposition or pancreaticobiliary reflux, and thus induce gallstones, cholangitis, pancreatitis and other diseases. Endoscopic ampullary sphincterotomy is an important way to treat biliary and pancreatic diseases, but the length of incision is determined by the anatomy of Oddi sphincter. The endoscopic approach aims to relieve biliary and pancreatic outflow tract obstruction and pancreatic biliary reflux, and avoid enterobiliary reflux.

[Diagnostic value of gamma-glutamyl transferase and alkaline phosphatase for cholecystolithiasis complicated with occult pancreaticobiliary reflux]

Objective: To explore the diagnostic value of the preoperative liver function for occult pancreaticobiliary reflux (OPBR) in patients with gallstones. Methods: Patients with gallstones in Shanghai East Hospital were enrolled from December 2020 to June 2021. Their intraoperative bile and clinical data were collected. According to the gallbladder bile amylase level, patients were divided into the OPBR group (bile amylase>110 U/L) and the control group (bile amylase ≤ 110 U/L). Preoperative liver function levels of the two groups were compared, and the differential parameters were accessed by the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve. And the risk factors for OPBR were tested by multiple logistic regression analysis. Results: Among 249 patients, 83 were male and 166 were female, aged 50 (37, 62) years; There were 218 cases in control group, including 70 males and 148 females, aged 49 (36, 61) years; There were 31 patients in the OPBR group, including 13 males and 18 females, aged 58 (51, 65) years. For preoperative liver function, gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT) and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) in the OPBR group were higher than those in the control group [35 (18, 59) vs 19 (13, 34) U/L, 80 (71, 97) vs 69 (57, 83) U/L; both P<0.01]. ROC indicated that preoperative GGT and ALP had important predictive values for OPBR in gallstone patients. Their respective optimal cut-off value and area under the ROC curve [AUC (95%CI)] were GGT ≥ 30 U/L, 0.656 (0.542-0.770), P=0.005; ALP≥70 U/L, 0.693 (0.613-0.773), P=0.001, respectively. In addition, multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that the levels of GGT [OR (95%CI)=2.856 (1.260-6.473), P=0.012] and ALP [OR (95%CI)=3.685 (1.314-10.333), P=0.013] were independent-related factors for OPBR in patients with gallstones. Conclusion: Preoperative liver function assessment is of great significance for patients with gallstones, while GGT and ALP are important for predicting OPBR in patients with gallstones.

[Merkel cell carcinoma: a clinicopathological study of 10 cases]

Objective: To investigate the clinicopathological features, differential diagnosis and prognosis of Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC). Methods: The clinical and pathological data of 10 patients with MCC were collected at the 940th Hospital of PLA. The histological characteristics were examined. Immunohistochemical EnVision method was used to detect thyroid transcription factor-1 (TTF1), broad-spectrum cytokeratin (CKpan), CK20, S-100, Ki-67, CD56, chromogranin A, synaptophysin and other markers in the 10 cases. Results: Intradermal MCC of the skin showed a nested, cord-like, cribriform distribution, polygonal cells, uniform size, and lack of cytoplasm. Tumor cell nuclei were large and round, with clear nuclear membranes, fine and scattered chromatin, absence of nucleoli, and mitotic figures of 10 per 50 high power fields. Among them, one patient had sarcoma and squamous cell carcinoma in situ, one patient had squamous cell carcinoma in situ, and one patient had unique cell morphology. Immunohistochemical staining showed that all cancer cells expressed CKpan, synaptophysin and CD56. There were seven cases with perinuclear dot-like positivity of CK20. Six MCCs expressed chromogranin A to varying degrees, while 2 MCCs were weakly positive for p63. The nuclear positive index in the Ki-67 hotspot area was 60%. Conclusion: The histology of MCC varies. Rendering a correct diagnosis of MCC requires adequate sampling, close correlation with clinical history and rational use of immunohistochemical staining. The treatment requires standardized surgery, postoperative radiotherapy and multimodal chemotherapy. Immunotherapy may replace the traditional treatment in the future.

[Establishment and validation of prognostic risk score model for esophageal squamous cell carcinoma based on immune related genes]

Objective: To find the biomarkers that accurately predict the survival of patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). Methods: The immune related genes that were significantly related to the overall survival (OS) of patients with ESCC were screened from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database to construct a prognostic risk score model. The prognoses of the high-risk and low-risk groups were compared by Kaplan-Meier method. The accuracy of the model was evaluated by the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve. Tumor tissue samples of 83 patients with pathological diagnosis of ESCC were collected from Anyang Cancer Hospital for external verification. Cox regression analysis was used to comprehensively evaluate the effects of prognostic risk score and various clinical characteristics on OS of patients with ESCC. Results: Seven immune-related genes that were significantly related to survival prognosis were selected from the TCGA database and included in the prognostic risk score model, which were S100A12, SLC40A1, FABP9, TNFSF10, IGHA2, IL1F10, and STC2. The 1- and 2-year survival rates of the low-risk group (40 cases) were 94.3% and 82.5%, respectively, while those of the high-risk group (40 cases) were 75.9% and 32.9%, respectively.The prognosis of the high-risk group was worse than that of the low-risk group (P<0.001). The 83 external validation samples obtained consistent results by using the prognostic risk score model. The prognostic risk score was positively correlated with the content of CD4(+) T lymphocytes in ESCC (r(s)=0.259, P=0.020), but not correlated with the content of B lymphocytes, CD8(+) T lymphocytes, neutrophils, macrophages or dendritic cells (P>0.05). Conclusions: S100A12, SLC40A1, FABP9, TNFSF10, IGHA2, IL1F10, and STC2 were risk genes significantly associated with OS of patients with ESCC. The prognostic risk score was an independent prognostic factor for the OS of patients with ESCC, and it was correlated with the content of CD4(+) T lymphocytes in ESCC tissue.

[Clinical and genetic studies on 76 patients with hydrocephalus caused by methylmalonic acidemia combined with homocysteinuria]

Objective: To analyze the clinical features, genetic characteristics, treatment and follow-up results of patients with hydrocephalus caused by methylmalonic acidemia combined with homocysteinuria, and to discuss the optimal strategies for assessing and treating such patients. Methods: From January 1998 to December 2020, 76 patients with hydrocephalus due to methylmalonic acidemia combined with homocysteinuria in the Department of Pediatrics in 11 hospitals including Peking University First Hospital were diagnosed by biochemical, genetic analysis and brain imaging examination. The patients were divided into operation-group and non-operation-group according to whether they underwent ventriculoperitoneal shunt. The clinical features, laboratory examinations, genotype, and follow-up data were retrospectively analyzed. Data were compared between the two groups using rank sum test, and categorical data were compared using χ² test. Results: Among the 76 patients (51 male, 25 female), 5 were detected by newborn screening, while 71 were diagnosed after clinical onset, 68 cases (96%) had early-onset, 3 cases (4%) had late-onset. The most common clinical manifestations of 74 cases with complete data were psychomotor retardation in 74 cases (100%), visual impairment in 74 cases (100%), epilepsy in 44 cases (59%), anemia in 31 cases (42%), hypotonia or hypertonia in 21 cases (28%), feeding difficulties in 19 cases (26%) and disturbance of consciousness in 17 cases (23%). Genetic analysis was performed in 76 cases, all of whom had MMACHC gene variations, including 30 homozygous variations of MMACHC c.609G>A. The most common variations were c.609G>A (94, 62.7%), followed by c.658_660del (18, 12.0%), c.567dupT (9, 6.0%) and c.217C>T (8, 5.3%). Therapy including cobalamin intramuscular injection, L-carnitine and betaine were initiated immediately after diagnosis. A ventriculoperitoneal shunt operation was performed in 41 cases (operation group), and 31 patients improved after metabolic intervention (non-operation group). There was no significant difference in the age of onset, the age of diagnosis, the blood total homocysteine, methionine, and urinary methylmalonic acid concentration between the two groups (all P>0.05). The symptoms of psychomotor development, epilepsy, and visual impairments improved gradually after a long-term follow-up in the operation group. Conclusions: Hydrocephalus is a severe complication of methylmalonic acidemia combined with homocysteinuria. The most common clinical manifestations are psychomotor retardation, visual impairment, and epilepsy. It usually occurs in early-onset patients. Early diagnosis and etiological treatment are very important. Hydrocephalus may improve after metabolic intervention in some patients. For patients with severe ventricular dilatation, prompt surgical intervention can improve the prognosis.

Maternal cardiac arrest: a retrospective analysis

OBJECTIVES

To describe the characteristics and factors which may influence the maternal outcomes of maternal cardiac arrest (MCA).

DESIGN

Retrospective analysis of cases.

SETTING

China.

POPULATION OR SAMPLE

A total of 61 MCA patients admitted or transferred to The Third Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University from January 2000 to December 2019.

METHODS

Clinical data for MCA were analysed retrospectively. The indicators included maternal age; BMI; gestational age; antenatal examination; income; MCA cause and place; cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR); mode of delivery; maternal prognosis; and neonatal outcome.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

The impact of case characteristics on maternal prognosis of MCA.

RESULTS

The hospital received 61 patients with MCA, 36 of whom died (mortality 59.0%, 95% CI 46.3-71.7%). MCA was predominantly caused by treatable complications. Those who died were more likely to have collapsed in the ICU.

CONCLUSIONS

Regular antenatal examination and early intervention can reduce the incidence of adverse pregnancy outcomes. The location of MCA occurred may be related to maternal prognosis. The leading causes of MCA were postpartum haemorrhage and amniotic fluid embolism.

TWEETABLE ABSTRACT

A retrospective analysis describes the correlation between case characteristics of MCA and maternal outcomes.

[Post-discharge growth of extremely premature infants within corrected age of 24 months]

Objective: To demonstrate the post-discharge catch-up growth of extremely premature infants (EPI) within 24 months of corrected age. Methods: This study retrospectively collected the anthropomorphic measurements of 311 EPI who visited Shenzhen Maternity and Child Healthcare Hospital from August 2013 to April 2020. These infants were stratified according to gestational age at birth (GA): 23-24⁺⁶weeks, 25-26⁺⁶weeks, 27-27⁺⁶weeks; and birth weight:<750 g, 750-999 g, ≥1 000 g. The anthropomorphic measurements, including weight, length, and head circumference for age, were recorded timely from discharge to 24 months of corrected age. And the growth curve stratified by GA and birth weight were fitted in both chronological age and corrected age, which were then compared with the World Health Organization Child Growth Standards for term infant (2006 version), to investigate the catch-up growth pattern of EPI. And appropriate catch-up was defined as the measurements reached the 25^th percentile of WHO growth curve. Results: In these 311 EPI, 184 were males and 127 females, with gestational age of 23-27⁺⁶ weeks and birth weight of 480-1 430 g. Regardless of the GA and birth weight, the growth curves fitted in corrected age failed to overlap with that in chronological age by 24 months of corrected age. The growth velocity of weight, length and head circumference in both corrected and chronological age were all positively correlated with GA and birth weight: the 27-27⁺⁶weeks group showed a preferable growth pattern than the 25-26⁺⁶weeks group, and the curve of the 23-24⁺⁶weeks group was most unfavorable; and the same pattern was observed between the subgroups of different birth weight. Furthermore, the GA had more significant impact on the catch-up growth pattern than birth weight did. When assessed with corrected age curve, the weight and length of both male and female EPIs achieved appropriate catch-up by 24 months, as well as the head circumference of girls; whereas, boys' head circumference reached appropriate catch-up at the corrected age of 9 months, but fell behind the 25^th percentile after that. However, when assessed with chronological age curve, both boys and girls failed to achieve appropriate catch-up in weight, length and head circumference by age 24 months. And no matter in corrected or chronological age, all physical measurements of girls were lower than those of boys. Conclusions: The rapid catch-up growth of EPI happens within 6 months of corrected age. The lower the birth weight and gestational age, the lower the physical measurements at each corresponding month of age, and the longer it takes to achieve appropriate catch-up. Gestational age has a greater impact on the longitudinal catch-up growth than birth weight does. And girls generally grow slower than boys in either correct or actual age. Before 24 months of corrected age, the growth should be assessed with corrected age rather than chronological age.

[Metastatic renal cell carcinoma: a clinicopathological analysis of 196 cases]

Objective: To analyze the clinico pathological features, differential diagnosis and prognosis of metastatic renal cell carcinomas. Methods: The clinical data, histology, immunophenotype and follow-up data of 196 patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma diagnosed from 1994 to 2017 at the Department of Pathology, Changhai Hospital, Naval Military Medical University, Shanghai, China were analyzed retrospectively. Results: There were 142 males and 54 females, with a median age of 61 years. The top three metastatic sites for the 196 cases of metastatic renal cell carcinoma were lung (31.1%, 61/196), bone (29.1%, 57/196) and digestive system (19.4%, 38/196). Among the pathological subtypes of metastasis, the proportion of clear cell renal cell carcinoma was 94.4% (185/196) and that of type II papillary renal cell carcinoma was 3.6% (7/196). The TFE3 translocated renal cell carcinoma and congestive tubular carcinoma were rare, with 3 cases and 1 case, respectively. CK, vimentin, CAⅨ and CD10 were expressed in all metastatic clear cell renal cell carcinomas. CK7, CD10 and P504s were expressed in papillary renal cell carcinomas. TFE3 was expressed in TFE3 translocated renal cell carcinoma. The collecting duct carcinoma was positive for HCK. Conclusions: Lung metastasis and bone metastasis are still the most frequent metastatic sites of renal cell carcinoma. Five years after primary lesion resection may be the high risk time for metastasis. Most of the metastases are solitary when they are first identified. To better diagnose and identify the renal origin of a metastatic renal cell carcinoma, one should consider morphological characteristics, clinical history information of the metastasis and the combined immunohistochemistry of CK, vimentin, CD10, CK7, TFE3, PAX2 and PAX8.

[ Ⅲ ]

Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the safety and immunogenicity of the first domestic ACYW135 meningococcal conjugate vaccine and a control vaccine named AC group meningococcal conjugate vaccine for 3 months (90-119 days) infants. Methods: From February 2017 to June 2018, a randomized, blinded, and similar vaccine-controlled clinical trial design was adopted at the Henan Vaccine Clinical Research Base. The subjects were 3 months old healthy infants, a total of 720, based on a 1∶1 ratio. The random allocation table for entry was randomly assigned to the experimental group and the control group. According to the 3, 4, and 5 month-old vaccination procedures, the subjects were vaccinated with test vaccine (ACYW135 group meningococcal conjugate vaccine) and control vaccine (group A group C meningococcal polysaccharide conjugate vaccine), of which 720 were given the first dose, 696 were given the second dose (test group: 346; control group: 350), and 692 were given the third dose (test group: 344; Control group: 348). Results: The overall adverse reaction rate of the test vaccine was 21.90% (230 cases), which was lower than the 32.04% (339 cases) of the control vaccine (P<0.001). The incidence of systemic adverse reactions was 19.52% (205 cases), which was lower than that of the control vaccine (27.69%) (293 cases) (P<0.001). The local adverse reaction rate was 3.04% (32 cases), which was lower than the control group (7.84%) (83 cases) (P<0.001). The graded adverse reaction test vaccine was 0.57% (6 cases), which was lower than the control group of 2.36% (25 cases) (P<0.001). The positive conversion rate of anti-bacterial serum antibodies showed that there was no significant difference between the test vaccine group A (91.42%), C (88.76%) and the control vaccine (92.92%) (87.02%) (P>0.05). Group Y and W135 was 88.17% (298 cases), 99.41% (336 cases), respectively. The GMT results showed that the test vaccine group A was 56.24, the control vaccine was 57.43 (P>0.05); the group C test vaccine (43.53) was higher than the control group (27.28) (P<0.001). The group Y and W135 are 89.22 and 140.66, respectively. Among them, the proportion of the group C GMT antibody ≥ 1∶128 for test vaccine (31.07%, 105 cases) was higher than the control vaccine (16.22%, 55 cases) (P<0.001). Conclusion: ACYW135 group meningococcal conjugate vaccine has more safety and immunogenicity after application to 3 month old infants.

[Investigation on two family clusters of COVID-19 in a county of Baotou city in Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region]

Objective: To investigate the epidemiological characteristics and transmission chain of COVID-19 in two families, and to provide scientific evidence for effective prevention and control measures. Methods: Field epidemiological investigation was conducted for the COVID-19 cases occurred in two families and the close contacts in a county of Baotou city in Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. Descriptive statistical analysis on epidemiological data was conducted. Results: The infection source of the COVID-19 cases in the two families was a man who had living history in Wuhan. After his return, his parents were infected by him. A few days later, the members of a neighbor family were found to be infected, and relatives of this family were also infected after dining together repeatedly. Finally, ten confirmed cases and three suspected cases of COVID-19 were detected in the two families. Conclusions: Human-to-human transmission of COVID-19 can occur not only in a family but also in neighborhoods. The cases in two families had close relationship, indicating the necessity to strengthen the health education about COVID-19 prevention and control and the management of groups at high risk to reduce the incidence of COVID-19 in families and neighborhoods.

[The phenotypes and genotypes in 314 patients with isolated methylmalonic acidemia]

Objectives: To summarize the clinical and genetic characteristics of the patients with isolated methylmalonic acidemia and investigate the strategies for the diagnosis, treatment and prevention. Methods: Three hundred and fourteen patients (180 males, 134 females) with isolated methylmalonic acidemia were ascertained from 26 provinces or cities across the mainland of China during January 1998 to March 2020. Genetic analysis was performed by Sanger sequencing, gene panel sequencing, whole exome sequencing, multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification or quantitative PCR. According to the age of onset, the patients were divided to early-onset group (≤12 months of age) and the late-onset group (>12 months of age). They were treated by cobalamin, L-carnitine and (or) special diet and symptomatic treatment. Statistical analysis was done using Chi-square test. Results: Fifty-eight of 314 (18.5%) patients were detected by Newborn screening using liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry. Five cases (1.6%) had a postmortem diagnosis. Two hundred and fifty-one patients (79.9%) were clinically diagnosed with an age of onset ranged from 3 hours after birth to 18 years. One hundred and fifty-nine patients (71.0%) belonged to early-onset groups, 65 patients (29.0%) belonged to the late-onset group. The most common symptoms were metabolic crises, psychomotor retardation, epilepsy, anemia and multiple organ damage. Metabolic acidosis and anemia were more common in early-onset patients than that in late-onset patients (20.8%(33/159) vs. 9.2% (6/65), 34.6% (55/159) vs. 16.9% (11/165), χ(2)=4.261, 6.930, P=0.039, 0.008). Genetic tests were performed for 236 patients (75.2%), 96.2%(227/236) had molecular confirmation. One hundred and twenty-seven variants were identified in seven genes (MMUT, MMAA, MMAB, MMADHC, SUCLG1, SUCLA2, and MCEE), of which 49 were novel. The mut type, caused by the deficiency of methylmalonyl-CoA mutase, was the most common (n=211, 93%) cause of this condition. c.729_730insTT, c.1106G>A and c.914T>C were the three most frequent mutations in MMUT gene. The frequency of c.914T>C in early-onset patients was significantly higher than that in late-onset patients (8.3% (18/216) vs. 1.6% (1/64), χ(2)=3.859, P=0.037). Metabolic crisis was more frequent in mut type than the other types (72.6% (114/157) vs. 3/13, χ(2)=13.729, P=0.001),developmental delay and hypotonia were less frequent in mut type (38.2% (60/157) vs. 9/13, 25.5% (40/157) vs. 8/13, χ(2)=4.789, 7.705, P=0.030, 0.006). Of the 58 patients identified by newborn screening, 44 patients (75.9%) who were treated from asymptomatic phase developed normally whereas 14 patients (24.1%) who received treatment after developing symptoms exhibited varying degrees of psychomotor retardation. Conclusions: The characteristics of phenotypes and genotypes among Chinese patients with isolated methylmalonic acidemia were analyzed. Expanded the mutation spectrum of the associated genes. Because of the complex clinical manifestations and severe early onset of isolated methylmalonic acidemia, Newborn screening is crucial for early diagnosis and improvement of prognosis. MMUT gene is recommended for carrier screening as an effort to move the test earlier as a part of the primary prevention of birth defects.

[What we learned from SARS may provide important insights into understanding and management of coronavirus disease 2019]

The rapid spread of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has become a global threat. But the pathogenesis and treatment of the disease are not clear yet. Virological researches revealed close relationship between 2019-nCoV and SARS-CoV. The experience and knowledge we gained from severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), especially with regard to the time course of viral replication, host immune response and clinical progression of the patient, may provide important insights into understanding and management of COVID-19. Clinical deterioration accompanied by decreasing viral load in the second week after symptom onset was noted both in SARS and COVID-19, suggesting that the lung damage at this phase is more related to excessive host immune response rather than uncontrolled viral replication.

Postconditioning Protection Against Myocardiocyte Anoxia/Reoxygenation Injury From Penehyclidine Hydrochloride

Background/Aims

To investigate the postconditioning protective effect of penehyclidine hydrochloride (PHC) against anoxia/reoxygenation (A/R) injury in H9c2 cells along with the involved mechanism and timing effect.

Methods

We divided H9c2 cells into 7 groups: control group, A/R group and PHC+A/R groups at 0 min, 5 mins, 10 mins, 20 mins, 30 mins, respectively (treated with 0.1 μm/L PHC at 0 min, 5 mins, 10 mins, 20 mins, 30 mins after the reoxygenation procedure began). Cell apoptosis, oxidative stress, intracellular Ca²⁺ concentration, mitochondrial membrane potential and mitochondrial permeability transition pore (MPTP) opening were explored. Bcl-2, Bax, Cyt C, caspase-3 and caspase-9 levels were measured.

Results

A/R significantly increased both cell injury and cell apoptosis. PHC showed postconditioning protective effect by attenuating superoxide production, decreasing Ca²⁺ overload, restraining MPTP activities, restoring mitochondrial membrane potential, regulating cell apoptosis proteins and modulation of mitochondrial pathway. Earlier administration of PHC offered greater postconditioning protective effect.

Conclusion

H9c2 cells were protected by PHC from A/R injury regardless of timing of PHC administration (0 min, 5 mins, 10 mins, 20 mins, 30 mins). However, earlier administration of PHC resulted in better PHC postconditioning protection.

[Haploidentical allogenetic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation for X-linked adrenoleukodystrophy]

OBJECTIVE

X-linked adrenoleukodystrophy (ALD) is a severe inherited disorder leading to rapid neurological deterioration and premature death. Allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) is still the only treatment that halts the neurologic symptoms in ALD. However, many patients lack suitable human leukocyte antigen (HLA) matched related donors and must rely on alternative donors for a source of stem cells. The purpose of this study was to explore the outcomes of haploidentical allogeneic stem cell transplantation for ALD patients.

METHODS

Between December 2014 and December 2018, eight children with ALD lacking HLA matched related or unrelated donors were treated with haploidentical allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. The patients received conditioning regimen with busulfan 9.6 mg/kg, cyclophosphamide 200 mg/kg and fludarabine 90 mg/m². Graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) prophylaxis consisted of anti-human thymocyte globulin, cyclosporine A, mycophenolate mofetil and short course of methotrexate.

RESULTS

All the 8 children received allogeneic stem cell transplants from their fathers. The median age of the recipients was 8 (range: 5-12) years. The median age of the donors was 36 (range: 32-40) years. All the recipients received granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) mobilized bone marrow and peripheral blood-derived stem cells. The median number of total mononuclear cells dose and CD34+ dose was 10.89 (range: 9.40-12.16)×10⁸/kg and 7.06 (range: 0.74-7.80)×10⁶/kg, respectively. Neutrophil engraftment occurred a median of 11 days (range:8-13 days) after transplantation. Platelet engraftment occurred a median of 10 days (range:8-12 days) after transplantation. All the patients achieved complete donor chimerism at the time of engraftment. Four patients had grades II-IV acute GVHD and 1 had chronic graft-versus-host disease. No severe chronic GVHD occurred. Among all the children, 2 had cytomegalovirus (CMV) DNAemia and 2 Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) DNAemia. Overall, seven of them survived and had no major complications related to transplantation. One died of cerebral hernia after epilepsy 125 days after transplantation.

CONCLUSION

The preliminary observation demonstrates that haploidentical allogeneic stem cell transplantation with this novel regimen could successfully achieve full donor chimerism in ALD patients. According to our experience, haploidentical allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation is safe and feasible in the treatment of X-linked adrenoleukodystrophy.

Thermodynamic method for establishment of relationship between icephobicity/superhydrophobicity and microstructure-Based on computing for adhesion work

Superhydrophobic surfaces (SHS) have potential in solving the icing of aircraft, high-voltage overhead transmission lines, and other power network devices exposed to the air. For this reason, we wish to establish the relationship between microstructure and the adhesion work by thermodynamic method, also for analysis of the relationship between the hydrophobicity and icephobicity (or anti-icing). Therefore, respectively considering Cassie-Baxter and Wenzel states, such relationship was theoretically established based on one/two-step surface model, enlightened by natural and artificial SHS. Among it, how to obtain the adhesion work of icing per unit ice-solid interface is the key to this study. Followed by it, hydrothermal experiment, chemical deposition, and etching methods were performed to verify our theoretical results.

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How to model for the SHS based on the natural and artificial SHS;

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Computation for adhesion work (w_aw) per unit area of a water droplet–SHS interface;

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Computation for adhesion work (w_ai) per unit area of a frozen water droplet–SHS interface;

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Computation for reduced adhesion work (w_a2) after icing;

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Hydrothermal experiment, chemical deposition and etching methods were used for validation of modeling.

[Clinical evaluation of gallbladder and common bile duct stones treated though cholecystostomy tube]

Objective: To investigate the efficacy, feasibility and safety of treatment of gallbladder and common bile duct stones treated through cholecystostomy tube. Methods: The clinical data of 17 patients with gallbladder and common bile duct stones treated through cholecystostomy tube from January 2012 to December 2016 was analyzed retrospectively. Results: Seventeen patients were successfully treated with percutaneous transhepatic gallbladder (PTGD), and 88.2% (15/17) patients had clinical symptom relief. There was no complication happened after PTGD and fistula expansion. All the stones were removed and there was 11.7% (2/17) of gallbladder bleeding, 5.9% (1/17) of pancreatitis, and 5.9% (1/17) of hyperamylasemia after stones extraction. The patients had gone through an average treatment period of 87.8±16.0 days, hospitalization of 5.5±0.6 times and 43.3±4.5 days, cost of 60.0±8.0 thousand, 6.9±0.9 operations, 1.4±0.6 stone extraction operations with the average time of 58.4±21.2 min. The duodenal papillary balloon dilatation rate was 82.4% (14/17). Conclusion: The treatment through cholecystostomy tube is an effective, safe and feasible technique for gallbladder and common bile duct stones. However, there are many shortcomings such as long treatment cycle, large number of hospitalization and operations, difficult operation and high cost.