Application progress of electronic tongue on taste evaluation for drug products / 药学学报

The taste of oral dosage forms has become a critical factor affecting the drug compliance and adherence to the treatment, and clinical application of the drug product may seriously restricted due to its bad taste. On the basis of the statement for the basic principle and specific performance of existing instruments, the application progress of electronic tongue on drug taste evaluation is addressed in detail. In view of its objective, fatigue-free, less harmful and accurate advantages, electronic tongue has been widely and meaningfully applied in the aspects of bitterness masking, and quality assessment and assurance of drug products. In addition, the reasons limiting the popularization of electronic tongue are mentioned in the paper, and some suggestions might be useful to enlarge the further application in the future.

Formulation optimization and analysis of taste-masking effect of licorzine granules based on sensory evaluation and electronic tongue method / 药学学报

Licorzine granules are common preparations for children zinc deficiency. Considering the long course of treatment, the taste of licorzine granules may become a main factor affecting medication adherence. To date there have been no taste evaluation research into licorzine granules yet. In this study, both sensory evaluation and electronic tongue method were utilized to optimize licorzine granules formulations, evaluate the tastes of licorzine, excipients, optimized formulation in vivo and in vitro. As the results show, bitterness and astringency are the main unpleasant tastes generating from licorzine. Xanthan gum is the main taste-masking excipient, lowering down the bitterness and astringency of licorzine by at least one grade. Good correlation exists between the results of sensory evaluation and electronic tongue method, and an integrated combination of the two helps to obtain objective and rational research conclusions. The adult sensory evaluation study was a research-based clinical trial conducted with informed consent from all subjects in accordance with the ethical requirements of Good Clinical Practice.

Technical status and development trends of electronic tongue / 药学学报

Electronic tongue is one kind of bionic detection technologies, which can objectively reflect the taste of drugs based on electrochemical principle. In this paper, the development histories of electronic tongue both of potential type and voltammetry type were introduced, including their detection principles and key innovation technologies. In order to comprehensively improve the understanding of electronic tongue, its technological progresses, such as the study of dedicated sensors or biosensors for specific tastes, and the development of miniaturized or hybrid devices, were also discussed in detail. And the challenges and countermeasures in the application of electronic tongue were analyzed to provide some suggestions for its further technology promotion.

Comparative study on the methods to determine disintegration time of oral soluble films / 药学学报

Disintegration time is a key parameter that affects the palatability and compliance of oral soluble films. At present, there is no standard method to determine the disintegration time of oral soluble films. In this study, we compared the six methods (pharmacopoeial disintegration method, petri dish method, sponge surface method, slide frame and ball method, partially immersed into liquid (without weight attached) and partially immersed into liquid (with weight attached)) to determine the in vitro disintegration time of oral soluble films with different thickness, and evaluated the correlation with the in vivo disintegration time. The results showed that the repeatability and correlation of pharmacopoeial disintegration method and the partially immersed into liquid method (with weight attached) were excellent, with the endpoint of disintegration testing easy to determine. Partially immersed into liquid method (with weight attached), properly simulating the physiological condition in oral cavity, showed strong operability, good repeatability and in vitro-in vivo correlation, and was suitable for in vitro disintegration evaluation of oral soluble film dosage form. The adult sensory evaluation study was a research-based clinical trial conducted with informed consent from all subjects in accordance with the ethical requirements of Good Clinical Practice.

Study on formulation screening of chloral hydrate oral solution / 药学学报

Chloral hydrate is a commonly used central sedative drug before pediatric clinical examination, but its clinical safety and medication adherence are needed to focus on normally because of its poor stability and palatability. Under the premise of investigating the stability of different formulations, their palatability were also screened by using both human sensory and electronic tongue evaluation techniques. Human sensory evaluation has been conducted with the informed consent of all participants in accordance with the ethical requirements of the Good Clinical Practice for Drug Trials. The results showed that the addition of sorbitol and sucralose could effectively ensure the stability of the oral solution. Sorbitol is the main taste-masking component, and the ratio of 40% sorbitol and 0.5% sucralose can effectively mask the bitterness, astringency and spicy taste of 10% chloral hydrate oral solution. The results detected by human sensory and electronic tongue have good correlation and complementarity, and the combination of these two methods is more conducive to getting objective and reasonable conclusions.

Comparison and improvement of palatability for multisourced oral azithromycin suspension / 药学学报

Azithromycin dry suspension is one of the most commonly used drugs in pediatric clinic, but its taste masking has been difficult to achieve. 5 representative products of azithromycin dry suspension were chose to compare their tastes both using electronic tongue and human sensory evaluation methods, and there existed the differences of bitterness, later bitterness, graininess, and adhesion among these products. Raman micro-imaging was used to determine the difference in taste mainly due to different prescription ingredients and manufacturing techniques. Through mixing the dry suspensions with alkaline mixing solvent, the bad taste of each product was masked after evenly dispersing in the solvent, and their tastes were all close to the taste of the solvent. In the future, it is planned to investigate the stability and bioavailability of the solvent preparations, and then to give the medication suggestion of solvent preparation after ensuring their efficacy.

Prenatal pyrethroid pesticides exposure and neurodevelopment of 2-year-old children: a birth cohort study / 中华预防医学杂志

Objective: To investigate the influence and critical windows of prenatal exposure to pyrethroid pesticides (PYRs) on neurodevelopment of 2-year-old children. Methods: The subjects of this study were derived from the Xuanwei Birth Cohort. A total of 482 pregnant women who participated in the rural district of Xuanwei birth cohort from January 2016 to December 2018 were included. Maternal urinary concentrations of PYRs metabolites during 8-12 gestational weeks, 20-23 gestational weeks and 32-35 gestational weeks were measured with ultra high performance liquid chromatography system coupled with a tandem mass spectrometry detector. Child neurodevelopment was evaluated with the Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development-Third Edition at 2 years of age. Multivariate linear regression models and binary logistic regression models were used to assess the association between PYRs exposure during pregnancy and children's neurodevelopment. Results: A total of 360 mother-child pairs had complete data on maternal urinary PYRs metabolites detection and children's neurodevelopment assessment. The detection rate of any one PYRs metabolites during the first, second and third trimester were 93.6% (337/360), 90.8% (327/360) and 94.2% (339/360), respectively. The neurodevelopmental scores of Cognitive, Language, Motor, Social-Emotional, and Adaptive Behavior of 2-year-old children were (102.3±18.9), (100.2±16.3), (102.0±20.3), (107.8±23.3) and (85.8±18.6) points, respectively. After controlling for confounding factors, 4-fluoro-3-phenoxybenzoic acid (4F3PBA, one of PYRs metabolites) exposure in the first trimester reduced Motor (β=-5.02, 95%CI: -9.08, -0.97) and Adaptive Behavior (β=-4.12, 95%CI:-7.92, -0.32) scores of 2-year-old children, and increased risk of developmental delay of adaptive behavior (OR=2.07, 95%CI:1.13-3.82). Conclusion: PYRs exposure during the first trimester of pregnancy may affect neurodevelopment of 2-year-old children, and the first trimester may be the critical window.

Public practice，attitude and knowledge of coronavirus disease / 热带医学杂志

@#Objective To analyze the status of knowledge，attitude and practice of the coronavirus disease（COVID ⁃19）among the adults of 18⁃59 years old in China，and to provide scientific basis for corresponding health education strategies. Methods In the rapid development phrase of COVID ⁃ 19，subjects from all provinces or municipalities of China were invited to participate in a quick questionnaire online survey on January 29th，2020. Results The effective response rate of completing questionnaire was 97.41%（3 083/3 165）. 98.54% of the subjects reported that they were very terrified. The main reasons included the high contagion（64.71%）and lack of effective treatments（19.92%）；94.45% of the subjects were concerned that they and their family members would be infected by the novel coronavirus. 99.42% knew that the virus could be transmitted from person to person；97.89% and 93.87% knew that it could spread through respiratory tract and contact respectively，97.73% knew that patients without symptom could also be contagious，96.37% knew that persons in close contact to COVID⁃19 patient were required to be quarantined for at least 14 days of medical observation. 99.09% knew that the pathogen of this disease was novel coronavirus. 65.46% knew that both medical protective masks and surgical masks could prevent COVID⁃19 effectively. 99.68% had confidence in defeating COVID⁃19，and 85.86% believed that COVID⁃19 would be controlled within the next 3 months. Study subjects mainly obtained health information through WeChat（88.97%）or websites（82.06%）. The proportions of the subjects who can cover mouth and nose when coughing or sneezing，avoid hand contacting with eyes，mouth or nose，practice hand hygiene，wear masks outside，avoid exposure to respiratory patients，and avoid the crowded were 89.85%，85.44%，95.13%，96.89%，92.18% and 96.27%，respectively. Multivariate Logistic analysis showed that gender（OR=0.544，95%CI：0.440⁃0.673，P<0.001），age（OR=1.844，95%CI：1.466⁃2.320，P<0.001），recognition （OR=2.200，95% CI：1.780 ⁃ 2.718，P<0.001） were associated with those good behaviors. Conclusion After the happened，the government and society′s vigorous publicity to the public achieved good results. The public are highly concerned and have a high awareness of the knowledge of COVID ⁃ 19. They adopt protective measures proactively. Females，middle⁃aged，and individuals with insufficient recognition are likely under⁃protected. In the different epidemic stages of the emerging infectious disease，health education should be carried out to the public based on scientific evidences.

Levels of blood free carnitine in preterm infants with different gestational ages and birth weights / 中国当代儿科杂志

OBJECTIVE@#To examine blood concentrations of free carnitine (FC) in preterm infants with different gestational ages (GA) and birth weights (BW).@*METHODS@#A total of 3 368 preterm infants were enrolled as subjects. According to GA, they were divided into extremely preterm birth (EPTB) group (GA <28 weeks; n=39), very preterm birth (VPTB) group (28 ≤GA <32 weeks; n=405), moderately preterm birth (MPTB) group (32 ≤GA <34 weeks; n=507), and late preterm birth (LPTB) group (34 ≤GA <37 weeks; n=2 417); according to BW, they were divided into extremely low birth weight (ELBW) group (BW <1 000 g; n=36), very low birth weight (VLBW) group (1 000 g ≤BW <1 500 g; n=387), low birth weight (LBW) group (1 500 g ≤BW <2 500 g; n=1 873), and normal birth weight (NBW) group (2 500 g ≤ BW <4 000 g; n=1 072). Blood concentrations of FC were measured between 72 hours and 7 days after birth.@*RESULTS@#The EPTB and VPTB groups had significantly higher FC concentrations than the MPTB and LPTB groups (P<0.05), and the MPTB group had significantly higher FC concentrations than the LPTB group (P<0.05). The lower limit of the 95% medical reference range of FC increased with the reduction in GA. The ELBW and VLBW groups had significantly higher FC concentrations than the LBW and NBW groups (P<0.05). The LBW group had significantly higher FC concentrations than the NBW group (P<0.05). The lower limit of the 95% medical reference range of FC increased with the reduction in BW.@*CONCLUSIONS@#There is a significant increase in blood FC concentrations in very/extremely preterm infants and very/extremely low birth weight infants, and tend to decrease with the increases in GA and BW.

A clinical study of growth and metabolism of small for gestational age infants / 中国当代儿科杂志

OBJECTIVE@#To study the differences in growth and metabolism between small for gestational age (SGA) infants and appropriate for gestational age (AGA) infants.@*METHODS@#A total of 1 370 preterm infants were enrolled in this study. According to the association between gestational age and birth weight, they were divided into SGA group with 675 infants and AGA group with 695 infants. The two groups were compared in terms of general conditions, physical growth and blood biochemical parameters.@*RESULTS@#The SGA group had a significantly longer length of hospital stay than the AGA group (P<0.05). Compared with the AGA group, the SGA group had significantly lower body weight, body weight Z score, and body length at discharge and significantly higher incidence rate of extrauterine growth retardation and growth rate of head circumference (P<0.05). Compared with the AGA group, the SGA group had significantly longer time to full enteral nutrition and duration of parenteral nutrition (P<0.05). Compared with the AGA group, the SGA group had significantly higher levels of albumin, prealbumin, and serum phosphorus on admission and total bile acid before discharge, as well as a significantly lower albumin level before discharge (P<0.05). The incidence rates of asphyxia, neonatal respiratory distress syndrome, myocardial damage, feeding intolerance, pneumonia, sepsis, hypoglycemia and hypothyroxinemia in the SGA group were significantly higher than in the AGA group (P<0.05).@*CONCLUSIONS@#Compared with AGA infants, SGA infants have significantly delayed physical development during hospitalization and significantly higher incidence rates of extrauterine growth retardation and related complications.

Clinical application of whole exome sequencing in monogenic hereditary disorders in critically ill newborns / 中国当代儿科杂志

OBJECTIVE@#To explore the value and significance of the clinical application of whole exome sequencing (WES) in monogenic hereditary disorders in critically ill newborns.@*METHODS@#The critically ill newborns in the neonatal intensive care unit with suspected hereditary diseases or unclear clinical diagnosis from June 2016 to December 2018 were enrolled. The whole blood samples from both newborns and parents were collected for WES. The detected genetic mutations were classified, the mutations associated with clinical phenotypes were searched for, and Sanger sequencing was performed to verify the mutations.@*RESULTS@#A total of 45 newborns were enrolled, including 22 males and 23 females, and the median age of onset was 2.0 days. Of the 45 newborns, 12 (27%) were confirmed with monogenic hereditary disorders by molecular diagnostics, and the median age at diagnosis was 31.5 days. Of the 12 newborns with monogenic hereditary disorders, 5 (42%) were partially associated with clinical phenotypes but confirmed with monogenic hereditary disorders by additional information supplement and analysis. The improvement rate of newborns with monogenic hereditary disorders was 67% (8/12) after treatment.@*CONCLUSIONS@#WES technology is a powerful tool for finding genetic mutations in monogenic hereditary disorders in critically ill newborns and can play a crucial role in clinical decision-making. However, a comprehensive interpretation of sequence data requires physicians to take the clinical phenotypes and the results of WES into consideration simultaneously.

Effect of prone positioning on respiratory function in very preterm infants undergoing mechanical ventilation / 中国当代儿科杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To explore the effect of prone positioning on respiratory function in very preterm infants undergoing mechanical ventilation.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>A total of 83 very preterm infants treated with mechanical ventilation were enrolled in the study and were randomly assigned to supine group and prone group. Four infants withdrew from the study and 79 infants completed treatment and observation (37 in the supine group and 42 in the prone group). Infants in both groups were mechanically ventilated in a volume assist-control mode. Infants in the prone group were ventilated in the supine position for 4 hours and in the prone position for 2 hours. Ventilator parameters, arterial blood gas analysis, and vital signs were recorded before grouping, every 6 hours in the supine group, and every hour after conversion into the prone position in the prone group, respectively.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Fraction of inspired oxygen (FiO), peak inspiratory pressure, mean inspiratory pressure, and duration of ventilation were significantly lower in the prone group than in the supine group (P<0.05); there were no significant differences in tidal volume or positive end-expiratory pressure between the two groups (P>0.05). The prone group had a significantly higher PO/FiO ratio but significantly lower oxygenation index and respiratory rate than the supine group (P<0.05). There were no significant differences in arterial oxygen tension, pH, base excess, heart rate, or mean blood pressure between the two groups (P>0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>Alternating ventilation between the prone position and supine position can improve oxygenation function, decrease the fraction of inspired oxygen, and shorten the duration of mechanical ventilation in very preterm infants undergoing mechanical ventilation.</p>

The Determination of Cut-off Value of TSH during Screening of Congenital Hypothyroidism in 6 Prefecture/City of Yunnan Province / 昆明医科大学学报

Objective To explore the positive cut-off value in neonatal screening for congenital hypothyroidism(CH)in the center of Neonatal Screening , so as to improve screening efficiency and reduce false positive rate. Methods Heel blood samples were taken from the newborns born after72 hours,dropped in special S&S903 filter paper and delivered to the neonatal screening center within the prescribed period of time.DELFIA was applied to detect the concentration of thyroid-stimulating hormone(TSH).Result Totally 529918 blood sample were screened from the 2012 to the 2016.Among them 529645 newborns were normal, 203 neonates were diagnosed with CH, 70 with high TSH hyperlipidemia, the total detection rate was 1:1941, and the incidence of CH was 1:2610. According to the results, the cut-off value of the screening of CH in the center of Neonatal Screening was 9.0 mIU/L, the sensitivity was 100％and specifility was 98.38％, misdiagnosis rate was 0％. Conclusion The cut-off value of CH was 9.0 mIU/L in the center of Neonatal Screening ,which is suitable for the people in 6 Prefecture/City of Yunnan Province , and also provides the basis for neonatal scree of CH in the future.

Coronary CT 3D post-processing standardized display and construction of digital teaching platform / 医疗卫生装备

Objective To explore coronary CT three-dimensional post-processing standardized display and the construction of digital teaching platform. Methods The conventional display positions of 3D post-processing image were summarized during daily coronary CTA examination, the common place was refined. The construction mode was explored for CTA digital teaching demonstration platform. Results Coronary CTA 3D post-processing standardized display with common and individual property contributed to enhancing the display of coronary images. The CTA digital teaching demonstration platform met the teaching requirements. Conclusion The coronary CT 3D post-processing standardized display and digital teaching platform facilitate the student to master related knowledge.

Phloroglucinol combined with parecoxib for cystospasm after transurethral resection of the prostate / 中华男科学杂志

<p><b>Objective</b>To evaluate the effect and safety of phloroglucinol combined with parecoxib on cystospasm after transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP).</p><p><b>METHODS</b>We conducted a prospective randomized case-control study on 98 patients treated by TURP. After operation, the patients were randomly assigned to a treatment (n=50) and a control group (n=48), the former treated by intravenous injection of 80 mg phloroglucinol qd plus 40 mg parecoxib bid while the latter given 80 mg phloroglucinol only, both for 3 successive days. Then we recorded the frequency and duration of cystospasm, visual analogue scales (VAS), adverse reactions, post-operative bladder irrigation time, catheter-indwelling time, and hospital stay and compared them between the two groups of patients.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Compared with the controls, the patients in the treatment group showed a significantly lower frequency of cystospasm (［1.95±0.14］ vs ［0.70±0.65］ times, P<0.01), duration of cystospasm (［0.44±0.21］ vs ［0.12±0.14］ min, P<0.01), and VAS score (2.70±1.80 vs 1.90±1.30, P<0.01) at 48－72 hours after TURP, but no statistically significant differences were found between the control and treatment groups in the post-operative bladder irrigation time (［2.75±0.87］ vs ［2.64±0.83］ d, P>0.05), catheter-indwelling time (［3.52±0.32］ vs ［3.44±0.42］ d, P>0.05), and hospital stay (［5.23±0.81］ vs ［5.10±0.73］ d, P>0.05), and no obvious adverse reactions were observed in either of the two groups.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>Phloroglucinol combined with parecoxib is more effective and safer than phloroglucinol alone in relieving postoperative cystospasm after TURP.</p>

Safety and effectiveness of GreenLight 120-W laser photoselective vaporization of the prostate for benign prostatic hyperplasia: A meta-analysis / 中华男科学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To evaluate the safety and effectiveness of GreenLight 120-W laser photoselective vaporization of the prostate (PVP) versus transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP) for benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH).</p><p><b>METHODS</b>We searched PubMed, Medline, Embase, Cochrane Library, Wanfang, CNKI, and VIP for randomized control trials and their references addressing 120-W PVP versus TURP in the treatment of BPH. Based on the inclusion and exclusion criteria, two reviewers independently accomplished the screening, quality assessment, and data extraction of the identified studies and performed meta-analyses using RevMan 5.2.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Totally, 6 randomized control trials were included in this analysis, involving 703 cases, 351 treated by PVP and 352 by TURP. Compared with TURP, PVP showed significantly decreased time of catheterization (by 32. 55 hours, 95% CI 15.3 -49.8, P < 0.01), hospital stay (by 1.85 days, 95% CI 1.2-2.5, P < 0.01), and intraoperative blood loss (by 15.6 g/L, 95% CI 10.0-21.2, P < 0.01), but increased time of operation (by 9.37 minutes, 95% CI 5. 1-13.6, P < 0.01). There was also a significant reduction in blood transfusion, TUR syndrome, and capsular perforation in the PVP group. At 12 months after surgery, no statistically significant differences were found between the two groups in the improvement of maximum urinary flow rate, IPSS, postvoid residual, and sexual function.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>GreenLight 120-W laser PVP is a safe and effective procedure for the treatment of BPH, with similar effectiveness to TURP but less blood loss, shorter time of catheterization and hospital stay, and lower incidences of blood transfusion, TUR syndrome and capsular perforation.</p>

Effects of postnatal growth retardation on early neurodevelopment in premature infants with intrauterine growth retardation / 中国当代儿科杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To study the effects of postnatal growth retardation on early neurodevelopment in premature infants with intrauterine growth retardation (IUGR).</p><p><b>METHODS</b>A retrospective analysis was performed on the clinical data of 171 premature infants who were born between May 2008 and May 2012 and were followed up until a corrected gestational age of 6 months. These infants were classified into two groups: IUGR group (n=40) and appropriate for gestational age (AGA) group (n=131). The growth retardation rates at the corrected gestational ages of 40 weeks, 3 months, and 6 months, as well as the neurodevelopmental outcome (evaluated by Gesell Developmental Scale) at corrected gestational ages of 3 and 6 months, were compared between the two groups.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The growth retardation rate in the IUGR group was significantly higher than in the AGA group at the corrected gestational ages of 40 weeks, 3 months, and 6 months. All five developmental quotients evaluated by Gesell Developmental Scale (gross motor, fine motor, language, adaptability and individuality) in the IUGR group were significantly lower than in the AGA group at the corrected gestational ages of 3 months. At the corrected gestational age of 6 months, the developmental quotients of fine motor and language in the IUGR group were significantly lower than in the AGA group, however, there were no significant differences in the developmental quotients of gross motor, adaptability and individuality between the two groups. All five developmental quotients in IUGR infants with catch-up lag in weight were significantly lower than in IUGR and AGA infants who had caught up well.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>Growth retardation at early postnatal stages may adversely affect the early neurodevelopment in infants with IUGR.</p>

Risk factors for extrauterine growth retardation at discharge in premature infants / 中国当代儿科杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To study the incidence and risk factors for extrauterine growth retardation (EUGR) at discharge in premature infants.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>A retrospective analysis was performed on 596 premature infants who were admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit between 2006 and 2010. These subjects were classified into EUGR (n=217) and non-EUGR groups (n=379) based on the body weight at discharge. The risk factors for the occurrence of EUGR were studied by multivariate logistic regression analysis.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Based on the body weight, length, and head circumference, the incidence of EUGR at discharge was 36.4% (217 cases), 42.0% (250 cases), and 22.8% (136 cases), respectively. Low gestational age, low birth weight, intrauterine growth retardation (IUGR), delayed enteral feeding and complications of the respiratory system were identified as risk factors for EUGR (OR=6.508, 14.522, 5.101, 1.366, and 1.501, respectively).</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>The incidence of EUGR might be greatly decreased by strengthening the perinatal care, reducing the incidence of premature delivery and IUGR, undertaking early enteral feeding, and actively preventing postnatal complications.</p>

Epidemiological survey of childhood asthma in Kunming City, China / 中国当代儿科杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the prevalence of childhood asthma, and to find the distribution characteristics, precipitating factors, diagnosis and treatment status, and to provide scientific data for improving the prevention and management of asthma in children in Kunming City, China.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Children were selected by random cluster sampling. A standardized preliminary questionnaire was used for screening out possible patients in the survey. Diagnosis of asthma was confirmed by diagnostic criteria in suspected asthmatic children. Asthmatic children were further asked for past diagnosis and treatment with the questionnaire of asthma in children.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The total asthma incidence rate was 1.40%. The prevalence of asthma in male and female children was 1.89% and 0.88% respectively (P<0.05). Children aged 0-5 years old had a higher prevalence of asthma (1.69%) than that of school-age children (6-14 years old, 1.21%). In all asthmatic children, 51.3% were previously diagnosed with classical asthma or cough variant asthma, 26.0% were suffered attacks from December to February, and 54.0% were suffered attacks at midnight or dawn. Respiratory tract infection (87.3%) was the most common triggers of asthma exacerbation. Antibiotics were used in 80.0%, bronchodilators in 66.0%, inhaled corticosteroid in 64.0%. A peak flow meter for monitoring lung function was used in 17% of asthmatic children over 5 years old.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>The prevalence of asthma is associated with age and gender in children aged 0-14 years old in Kunming City. Acute asthma attack occurs mostly in winter and at midnight or dawn. Respiratory tract infection is the most common trigger of asthma exacerbation. Nearly a half of patients with asthma had not been diagnosed with asthma in the early stage. Most asthmatic children use antibiotics and only two-thirds use bronchodilators or inhaled corticosteroid in the treatment. The treatment and management of asthma in children awaits improvement as well.</p>

Role of P63 expression in diagnosis of thymoma subtypes / 第二军医大学学报

Objective To study the expression of P63 in 76 patients with thymic epithelial tumors (TET, including thymomas and thymic carcinomas) and its role in pathological diagnosis of TET based on World Health Organization classification. Methods Immunohistochemistry (SP method) was used to detect P63 expression in 76 different subtypes of TET tissues. The initial diagnostic results, further diagnosis results and diagnostic results considering P63 expression were analyzed and compared. Results The further diagnosis results identified 9 cases of misdiagnosis (mainly AB and B subtypes) and 3 uncertain cases. Different degrees of P63 expression (located in the nuclei) was observed in 72 cases, and different subtypes had different expression patterns. The diagnostic results considering P63 expression were more accurate than those not considering P63 expression (TET, P = 0. 017 and thymoma, P = 0. 032, respectively). Detection of P63 expression helped to confirm the diagnosis of the 3 uncertain cases according to the further diagnosis results. Conclusion Considering that P63 expression can help to better differentiate the subtypes of thymoma, it should be used as a routine marker for clinical diagnosis, especially for AB and B subtype thymoma.