Spatially Confined Microcells: A Path toward TMD Catalyst Design.

With the ability to maximize the exposure of nearly all active sites to reactions, two-dimensional transition metal dichalcogenide (TMD) has become a fascinating new class of materials for electrocatalysis. Recently, electrochemical microcells have been developed, and their unique spatial-confined capability enables understanding of catalytic behaviors at a single material level, significantly promoting this field. This Review provides an overview of the recent progress in microcell-based TMD electrocatalyst studies. We first introduced the structural characteristics of TMD materials and discussed their site engineering strategies for electrocatalysis. Later, we comprehensively described two distinct types of microcells: the window-confined on-chip electrochemical microcell (OCEM) and the droplet-confined scanning electrochemical cell microscopy (SECCM). Their setups, working principles, and instrumentation were elucidated in detail, respectively. Furthermore, we summarized recent advances of OCEM and SECCM obtained in TMD catalysts, such as active site identification and imaging, site monitoring, modulation of charge injection and transport, and electrostatic field gating. Finally, we discussed the current challenges and provided personal perspectives on electrochemical microcell research.

A genome-wide association study uncovers a ZmRap2.7-ZCN9/ZCN10 module to regulate ABA signalling and seed vigour in maize.

Seed vigour, including rapid, uniform germination and robust seedling establishment under various field conditions, is becoming an increasingly essential agronomic trait for achieving high yield in crops. However, little is known about this important seed quality trait. In this study, we performed a genome-wide association study to identify a key transcription factor ZmRap2.7, which regulates seed vigour through transcriptionally repressing expressions of three ABA signalling genes ZmPYL3, ZmPP2C and ZmABI5 and two phosphatidylethanolamine-binding genes ZCN9 and ZCN10. In addition, ZCN9 and ZCN10 proteins could interact with ZmPYL3, ZmPP2C and ZmABI5 proteins, and loss-of-function of ZmRap2.7 and overexpression of ZCN9 and ZCN10 reduced ABA sensitivity and seed vigour, suggesting a complex regulatory network for regulation of ABA signalling mediated seed vigour. Finally, we showed that four SNPs in ZmRap2.7 coding region influenced its transcriptionally binding activity to the downstream gene promoters. Together with previously identified functional variants within and surrounding ZmRap2.7, we concluded that the distinct allelic variations of ZmRap2.7 were obtained independently during maize domestication and improvement, and responded separately for the diversities of seed vigour, flowering time and brace root development. These results provide novel genes, a new regulatory network and an evolutional mechanism for understanding the molecular mechanism of seed vigour.

Super-Macroporous Lightweight Materials Templated from Bicontinuous Intra-Phase Jammed Emulsion Gels Based on Nanochitin.

Non-equilibrium multiphase systems are formed by mixing two immiscible nanoparticle dispersions, leading to bicontinuous emulsions that template cryogels with interconnected, tortuous channels. Herein, a renewable, rod-like biocolloid (chitin nanocrystals, ChNC) is used to kinetically arrest bicontinuous morphologies. Specifically, it is found that ChNC stabilizes intra-phase jammed bicontinuous systems at an ultra-low particle concentration (as low as 0.6 wt.%), leading to tailorable morphologies. The synergistic effects of ChNC high aspect ratio, intrinsic stiffness, and interparticle interactions produce hydrogelation and, upon drying, lead to open channels bearing dual characteristic sizes, suitably integrated into robust bicontinuous ultra-lightweight solids. Overall, it demonstrates the successful formation of ChNC-jammed bicontinuous emulsions and a facile emulsion templating route to synthesize chitin cryogels that form unique super-macroporous networks.

All-Aqueous Bicontinuous Structured Liquid Crystal Emulsion through Intraphase Trapping of Cellulose Nanoparticles.

Here, we describe the all-aqueous bicontinuous emulsions with cholesteric liquid crystal domains through hierarchical colloidal self-assembly of nanoparticles. This is achieved by homogenization of a rod-like cellulose nanocrystal (CNC) with two immiscible, phase separating polyethylene glycol (PEG) and dextran polymer solutions. The dispersed CNCs exhibit unequal affinity for the binary polymer mixtures that depends on the balance of osmotic and chemical potential between the two phases. Once at the critical concentration, CNC particles are constrained within one component of the polymer phases and self-assemble into a cholesteric organization. The obtained liquid crystal emulsion demonstrates a confined three-dimensional percolating bicontinuous network with cholesteric self-assembly of CNC within the PEG phase; meanwhile, the nanoparticles in the dextran phase remain isotropic instead. Our results provide an alternative way to arrest bicontinuous structures through intraphase trapping and assembling of nanoparticles, which is a viable and flexible route to extend for a wide range of colloidal systems.

Mo-Incorporated Magnetite Fe3 O4 Featuring Cationic Vacancies Enabling Fast Lithium Intercalation for Batteries.

Transition metal oxides (TMOs) as high-capacity electrodes have several drawbacks owing to their inherent poor electronic conductivity and structural instability during the multi-electron conversion reaction process. In this study, the authors use an intrinsic high-valent cation substitution approach to stabilize cation-deficient magnetite (Fe3 O4 ) and overcome the abovementioned issues. Herein, 5 at% of Mo4+ -ions are incorporated into the spinel structure to substitute octahedral Fe3+ -ions, featuring ≈1.7 at% cationic vacancies in the octahedral sites. This defective Fe2.93 ▫0.017 Mo0.053 O4 electrode shows significant improvements in the mitigation of capacity fade and the promotion of rate performance as compared to the pristine Fe3 O4 . Furthermore, physical-electrochemical analyses and theoretical calculations are performed to investigate the underlying mechanisms. In Fe2.93 ▫0.017 Mo0.053 O4 , the cationic vacancies provide active sites for storing Li+ and vacancy-mediated Li+ migration paths with lower energy barriers. The enlarged lattice and improved electronic conductivity induced by larger doped-Mo4+ yield this defective oxide capable of fast lithium intercalation. This is confirmed by a combined characterization including electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), cyclic voltammetry (CV), galvanostatic intermittent titration technique (GITT) and density functional theory (DFT) calculation. This study provides a valuable strategy of vacancy-mediated reaction to intrinsically modulate the defective structure in TMOs for high-performance lithium-ion batteries.

Prevalence and risk factors for antibiotic utilization in Chinese children.

BACKGROUND: Antibiotic resistance poses a significant threat to public health globally. Irrational utilization of antibiotics being one of the main reasons of antibiotic resistant. Children as a special group, there's more chance of getting infected. Although most of the infection is viral in etiology, antibiotics still are the most frequently prescribed medications for children. Therefore, high use of antibiotics among children raises concern about the appropriateness of antibiotic prescribing. This systematic review aims to measuring prevalence and risk factors for antibiotic utilization in children in China. METHODS: English and Chinese databases were searched to identify relevant studies evaluating the prevalence and risk factors for antibiotic utilization in Chinese children (0-18 years), which were published between 2010 and July 2020. A Meta-analysis of prevalence was performed using random effect model. The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) and modified Jadad score was used to assess risk of bias of studies. In addition, we explored the risk factors of antibiotic utilization in Chinese children using qualitative analysis. RESULTS: Of 10,075 studies identified, 98 eligible studies were included after excluded duplicated studies. A total of 79 studies reported prevalence and 42 studies reported risk factors for antibiotic utilization in children. The overall prevalence of antibiotic utilization among outpatients and inpatients were 63.8% (35 studies, 95% confidence interval (CI): 55.1-72.4%), and 81.3% (41 studies, 95% CI: 77.3-85.2%), respectively. In addition, the overall prevalence of caregiver's self-medicating of antibiotics for children at home was 37.8% (4 studies, 95% CI: 7.9-67.6%). The high prevalence of antibiotics was associated with multiple factors, while lacking of skills and knowledge in both physicians and caregivers was the most recognized risk factor, caregivers put pressure on physicians to get antibiotics and self-medicating with antibiotics at home for children also were the main factors attributed to this issue. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of antibiotic utilization in Chinese children is heavy both in hospitals and home. It is important for government to develop more effective strategies to improve the irrational use of antibiotic, especially in rural setting.

Self-gating in semiconductor electrocatalysis.

The semiconductor-electrolyte interface dominates the behaviours of semiconductor electrocatalysis, which has been modelled as a Schottky-analogue junction according to classical electron transfer theories. However, this model cannot be used to explain the extremely high carrier accumulations in ultrathin semiconductor catalysis observed in our work. Inspired by the recently developed ion-controlled electronics, we revisit the semiconductor-electrolyte interface and unravel a universal self-gating phenomenon through microcell-based in situ electronic/electrochemical measurements to clarify the electronic-conduction modulation of semiconductors during the electrocatalytic reaction. We then demonstrate that the type of semiconductor catalyst strongly correlates with their electrocatalysis; that is, n-type semiconductor catalysts favour cathodic reactions such as the hydrogen evolution reaction, p-type ones prefer anodic reactions such as the oxygen evolution reaction and bipolar ones tend to perform both anodic and cathodic reactions. Our study provides new insight into the electronic origin of the semiconductor-electrolyte interface during electrocatalysis, paving the way for designing high-performance semiconductor catalysts.

Ideal cardiovascular health metrics and the risk of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease: A cross-sectional study in northern China.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: The components of ideal cardiovascular health (CVH) metrics have been shown to be associated with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). The present study aimed to determine the association between ideal CVH metrics and NAFLD. METHODS: A total of 10,511 participants (47.26% men) aged 18 to 92 years were selected from the Jidong and Kailuan communities. Ideal CVH was based on 7 ideal CVH metrics: smoking, body mass index (BMI), physical activity, diet, total cholesterol, blood pressure and fasting blood glucose. NAFLD was determined by abdominal ultrasonography. All participants underwent questionnaire assessments and clinical and laboratory examinations. Logistic regression models were used to analyse the relationship of CVH metrics and the number of ideal CVH metrics with NAFLD. RESULTS: The prevalence rates of NAFLD by CVH summary score quartiles were 64.38% (2,015/3,130), 50.16% (786/1,567), 33.28% (1,194/3,588) and 20.89% (465/2,226). Participants in the highest quartile showed a lower odds ratio (OR) than those in the lowest quartile (fully adjusted OR: 0.17, 95% CI: 0.17-0.20, P < 0.001). Similar results were observed in subjects stratified by sex and age (45 years). The ORs were progressively decreased with an increased number of ideal CVH metrics (all P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: NAFLD was significantly associated with both the summary score of CVH metrics and the number of ideal CVH metrics. The combined evaluation of ideal CVH may contribute to the prevention of NAFLD.

Notoginsenoside R1: A systematic review of its pharmacological properties.

Notoginsenoside R1 is one of major bioactive compounds extracted from Panax notoginseng (Burk.) dry roots and rhizomes of F.H. Chen, which has been increasingly used for enhancing cognition and physical health worldwide. The objective of this study was to review the pharmacological effects of notoginsenoside R1 in a systematic manner. We performed searches on databases including MEDLINE (Pubmed), Google Scholar and Web of Science, the System for Information on to select the original research publications reporting the biological and pharmacological effects of notoginsenoside R1 from in vitro and in vivo studies regardless of publication language and study design. Notoginsenoside R1 exhibited potent characteristics of neuroprotective, anti-inflammatory, anti-apoptosis and anti-ischemia-reperfusion injury properties etc. The cytotoxic effects of notoginsenoside R1 were dependent on different types of cell lines. Other pharmacological effects including accumulation of lipopolysac chaired-induced microcirculation, endothelial injury, hypoxia-reoxygenation injury effects have been mentioned, but the results were considerably diverged. A higher quality of evidence on clinical trial studies is highly recommended to confirm the efficacy of notoginsenoside R1.

Specific Influences of Early Acoustic Environments on Cochlear Hair Cells in Postnatal Mice.

The auditory function develops and matures after birth in many mammalian species. After hearing onset, environmental sounds exert profound and long-term effects on auditory functions. However, the effects of the acoustic environment on the functional development of the peripheral auditory system, especially the cochlear sensory hair cells, are still unclear. In the present study, we exposed mouse pups to frequency-enriched acoustic environments in postnatal days 0-14. The results indicated that the acoustic environment significantly decreased the threshold of the auditory brainstem response in a frequency-specific manner. Compared with controls, no difference was found in the number and alignment of inner and outer hair cells or in the length of hair bundles after acoustic overstimulation. The expression and function of prestin, the motor protein of outer hair cells (OHCs), were specifically increased in OHCs activated by acoustic stimulation at postnatal days 7-11. We analyzed the postnatal maturation of ribbon synapses in the hair cell areas. After acoustic stimulation, the number of ribbon synapses was closer to the mature stage than to the controls. Taken together, these data indicate that early acoustic exposure could promote the functional maturation of cochlear hair cells and the development of hearing.

Three Preservation Solutions for Cold Storage of Heart Allografts: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Organ preservation solution has been designed to attenuate the detrimental effects during the ischemic period. The aim of this study was to systematically evaluate the evidence comparing preservation solutions for heart preservation. Studies were searched in PubMed, Embase, the Cochrane Library, the Transplant Library, and the International Clinical Trials Registry Platform. The primary outcomes were patient survival and donor heart dysfunction. The secondary outcomes were in-hospital mortality and enzyme gene expression. The University of Wisconsin solution (UW) was associated with a significantly improved survival at 30 days and 90 days (hazard ratio = 1.16, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.11-1.22, P < 0.00001; risk difference [RD] = 0.03, 95% CI = 0.01-0.05, P = 0.002), compared with Celsior. Hearts preserved with UW exhibited less ischemic necrosis than those preserved with Celsior (RD = -0.07, 95% CI = -0.08 to 0.05, P < 0.00001). UW was associated with better survival compared with histidine-tryptophan-ketoglutarate solution (HTK). There was no statistical difference in donor heart dysfunction and in-hospital mortality outcomes when comparing HTK with Celsior solution. During static cold storage preservation, this study suggests that UW solution has better clinical outcomes for heart transplantation compared with the other two organ preservation solutions. Besides, the protective effect of Celsior solution is similar to HTK solution in donor heart preservation.

Similar cerebral protective effectiveness of antegrade and retrograde cerebral perfusion during deep hypothermic circulatory arrest in aortic surgery: a meta-analysis of 7023 patients.

In aortic arch surgery, deep hypothermic circulatory arrest (DHCA) combined with cerebral perfusion is employed worldwide as a routine practice. Even though antegrade cerebral perfusion (ACP) is more widely used than retrograde cerebral perfusion (RCP), the difference in benefit and risk between ACP and RCP during DHCA is uncertain. The purpose of this meta-analysis is to compare neurologic outcomes and early mortality between ACP and RCP in patients who underwent aortic surgery during DHCA. PubMed, EMBASE, and the Cochrane Library were searched using the key words "antegrade," "retrograde," "cerebral perfusion," "cardiopulmonary bypass," "extracorporeal circulation," and "cardiac surgery" for studies reporting on clinical endpoints including early mortality, stroke, temporary neurologic dysfunction (TND), and permanent neurologic dysfunction (PND) in aortic surgery requiring DHCA with ACP or RCP. Heterogeneity was analyzed with the Cochrane Q statistic and I(2) statistic. Publication bias was tested with Begg's funnel plot and Egger's test. Thirty-four studies were included in this meta-analysis, with 4262 patients undergoing DHCA + ACP and 2761 undergoing DHCA + RCP. The overall pooled relative risk for TND was 0.722 (95% CI = [0.579, 0.900]), and the z-score for overall effect was 2.9 (P = 0.004). There was low heterogeneity (I(2) = 18.7%). The analysis showed that patients undergoing DHCA + ACP had better outcomes than those undergoing DHCA + RCP in terms of TND, while there were no significant differences between groups in terms of PND, stroke, and early mortality. This meta-analysis indicates that DHCA + ACP has an advantage over DHCA + RCP in terms of TND, while the two methods show similar results in terms of PND, early mortality, and stroke.

[A clinical study of changes in retina and visual field in patients with early Parkinson's disease].

OBJECTIVE: To characterize the changes of retinal structure and visual field mean defects (MD) in early Parkinson's disease (PD) and the related factors. METHODS: Twenty-five patients with early stage PD and 33 normal controls were enrolled in this study. PD patients were evaluated by unified Parkinson's disease rating scale (UPDRS) and Hoehn-Yahr (H-Y) stage in "off" period. All subjects undertook retina of retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) and macular examinations by optical coherence tomography (OCT), and MD by automatic visual field analyzer. RESULTS: (1) The average thicknesses of RNFL and C11 quadrant RNFL were thinner in PD group [(96.2 ± 7.6)µm and (124.4 ± 18.4)µm] than in healthy controls [(102.6 ± 5.0)µm and (135.4 ± 21.8)µm, respectively, P=0.000 and P=0.047]. Moreover, PD patients had a thinner average thickness of macular [(277.2 ± 9.6) µm vs (285.8 ± 12.6) µm, P=0.006], and smaller macular volume compared with controls [(10.0 ± 0.3) mm³ vs (10.3 ± 0.4) mm³, P=0.006]. However, there was no significant difference in MD between PD and control subjects [(0.43 ± 2.75)dB vs (-0.18 ± 1.41) dB, P=0.322]. (2) Pearson's correlation analysis showed that H-Y stage was negative correlated with the average RNFL thickness (r=-0.569), average macular thickness and volume (r=-0.501 and r=-0.417) in PD patients (all P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: PD patients have thinner average thicknesses of RNFL, C11 quadrant RNFL and macular, smaller macular volume than those in normal controls. There were no significant differences in MD between two groups.There were negative relationships between H-Y stage, and retinal thickness and volume of PD patients.

[Correlations between olfactory and cognitive functions in early stage Parkinson's disease].

OBJECTIVE: To explore the general characteristics of olfactory and cognitive functions in early Parkinson's disease (PD) and examine their correlations. METHODS: The olfactory functions were assessed for 63 PD patients and 55 age and gender-matched normal subjects using T&T olfactory assessment. The scales of mini-mental state examination (MMSE) and Montreal cognitive assessment (MoCA) were employed. The olfactory and cognitive parameters and their relationship were analyzed. There were five different odors in T&T testing liquid and each odor had 5 concentration gradients. The level had an assigned value of 1 to 5 and number 3 represented the standard threshold of olfactory recognition. The mean value of five odors was overall olfactory detection or cognition threshold. RESULTS: (1) The olfactory detection and recognition thresholds were 4.0 ± 1.3/4.8 ± 0.9 in PD group versus 2.5 ± 0.9/2.9 ± 0.9 in normal controls. The scores of MoCA and MMSE were lower in PD group than those in controls (23.7 ± 3.0 vs 25.9 ± 2.0, t = 4.727, P = 0.000; 27.8 ± 1.9 vs 28.9 ± 0.9, t = 4.036, P = 0.000). (2) Linear correlation analysis showed that olfactory recognition threshold was correlated negatively with MoCA scores. The olfactory detection and recognition thresholds were correlated negatively with the score of visual-spatial perception and executive capability (r = -0.365, -0.403, P < 0.05). The olfactory recognition threshold was correlated negatively with the score of delayed memory (r = -0.299, P < 0.05). And this phenomenon was absent in controls. CONCLUSION: Early PD patients have olfactory dysfunction and cognitive impairment. And these two non-motor symptoms are negatively correlated.

Three novel lanthanide metal-organic frameworks (Ln-MOFs) constructed by unsymmetrical aromatic dicarboxylatic tectonics: synthesis, crystal structures and luminescent properties.

Three novel Ln(III)-based coordination polymers, {[Ln2 (2,4-bpda)3 (H2O)x]·yH2O}n (Ln = La (III) (1), x = 2, y = 0, Ce (III) (2), Pr (III) (3), x = 4, y = 1) (2,4-H2bpda = benzophenone-2,4-dicarboxylic acid) have been prepared via a solvothermal method and characterized by elemental analysis, IR, and single-crystal X-ray diffraction techniques. Complex 1 exhibits a 3D complicated framework with a new 2-nodal (3,7)-connected (42·5) (44·51·66·8) topology. Complexes 2 and 3 are isomorphous, and feature a 3D 4-connected (65·8)-CdSO4 network. Moreover, solid-state properties such as thermal stabilities and luminescent properties of 1 and 2 were also investigated. Complex 1 crystallized in a monoclinic space group P21/c with a = 14.800 (3), b = 14.500 (3), c = 18.800 (4) Å, ß = 91.00 (3), V = 4033.9 (14) Å3 and Z = 4. Complex 2 crystallized in a monoclinic space group Cc with a = 13.5432 (4), b = 12.9981 (4), c = 25.7567 (11) Å, ß = 104.028 (4), V = 1374.16 (7) Å3 and Z = 4.

Black tea preserves intestinal homeostasis through balancing barriers and microbiota in mice.

Introduction: Black tea, a beverage consumed worldwide, possesses favorable effects on gastrointestinal tract, including nourishing stomach and promoting digestion. Nevertheless, its specific effects on intestinal homeostasis remains inconclusive. Methods: We applied black tea to mice prior to inducing colitis with DSS and then monitored their body weight and disease activity index (DAI) daily. When sacrificed, we measured intestinal permeability and conducted analyses of mucin and tight junction proteins. We detected inflammatory cytokines, immune cells, and related inflammatory signaling pathways. In addition, the gut microbiota was analyzed through 16S rRNA sequencing, and the concentrations of short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) were also measured. Results: The results showed that black tea-treated group significantly rescued the DSS-disrupted intestinal structure. It reduced the relative abundance of the pathogenic bacterium Turicibacter, while increased the abundance of beneficial bacteria norank_f_Muribaculaceae and restored the contents of SCFAs such as acetate, propionate, and butyrate. It also protected the intestinal barrier by reducing the levels of immune response-related factors (e.g., TNF-α, IL-6, IL-1ß) and increasing the expression of tight junction proteins (TJs) (e.g., ZO-1, occludin). Furthermore, black tea exhibited the capacity to suppress the expression of MMP-9 and ICAM-1, as well as to inhibit the activation of NF-κB signaling pathway. Discussion: Our findings provide a theoretical framework that elucidates the mechanisms by which black tea preserves intestinal homeostasis, highlighting its potential as a preventive strategy against intestinal disruptions. This study contributes to the understanding of the dietary effects of black tea on gastrointestinal health.

A Clinical Bacterial Dataset for Deep Learning in Microbiological Rapid On-Site Evaluation.

Microbiological Rapid On-Site Evaluation (M-ROSE) is based on smear staining and microscopic observation, providing critical references for the diagnosis and treatment of pulmonary infectious disease. Automatic identification of pathogens is the key to improving the quality and speed of M-ROSE. Recent advancements in deep learning have yielded numerous identification algorithms and datasets. However, most studies focus on artificially cultured bacteria and lack clinical data and algorithms. Therefore, we collected Gram-stained bacteria images from lower respiratory tract specimens of patients with lung infections in Chinese PLA General Hospital obtained by M-ROSE from 2018 to 2022 and desensitized images to produce 1705 images (4,912 × 3,684 pixels). A total of 4,833 cocci and 6,991 bacilli were manually labelled and differentiated into negative and positive. In addition, we applied the detection and segmentation networks for benchmark testing. Data and benchmark algorithms we provided that may benefit the study of automated bacterial identification in clinical specimens.

Low Cost and Latency Event Camera Background Activity Denoising.

Dynamic Vision Sensor (DVS) event camera output includes uninformative background activity (BA) noise events that increase dramatically under dim lighting. Existing denoising algorithms are not effective under these high noise conditions. Furthermore, it is difficult to quantitatively compare algorithm accuracy. This paper proposes a novel framework to better quantify BA denoising algorithms by measuring receiver operating characteristics with known mixtures of signal and noise DVS events. New datasets for stationary and moving camera applications of DVS in surveillance and driving are used to compare 3 new low-cost algorithms: Algorithm 1 checks distance to past events using a tiny fixed size window and removes most of the BA while preserving most of the signal for stationary camera scenarios. Algorithm 2 uses a memory proportional to the number of pixels for improved correlation checking. Compared with existing methods, it removes more noise while preserving more signal. Algorithm 3 uses a lightweight multilayer perceptron classifier driven by local event time surfaces to achieve the best accuracy over all datasets. The code and data are shared with the paper as DND21.

Effects of montelukast sodium combined with budesonide on pulmonary function, serum IgE levels, and EOS percentage in children with comorbid allergic rhinitis and asthma.

OBJECTIVE: This study was designed to determine the effects of montelukast sodium combined with budesonide on pulmonary function, serum immunoglobulin (Ig)E levels, and eosinophil (EOS) percentage in children comorbid with allergic rhinitis (AR) and asthma. METHODS: The medical records of 114 children comorbid with AR and asthma treated in the Guizhou Provincial People's Hospital from February 2020 to September 2022 were collected and analyzed retrospectively. Among them, 54 children treated with budesonide were assigned to a control group, and the remaining 60 children treated with montelukast sodium combined with budesonide were assigned to an observation group. The efficacy was compared between the two groups. Additionally, the changes in pulmonary function, serum IgE levels, and EOS percentage were compared between the two groups before and after treatment (one month). The adverse reactions during the treatment and the recurrence of AR within 3 months were recorded. Logistics regression was conducted to analyze the risk factors affecting the efficacy in children. RESULTS: The observation group showed a significantly higher overall response rate than the control group (P<0.05). After treatment, the observation group showed significantly higher levels of forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1)%, FEV1/forced vital capacity (FVC), and peak expiratory flow (PEF) than the control group (P<0.05), and significantly lower IgE levels and EOS percentage than the control group (P<0.05). No significant difference was found between the two groups in terms of the total incidence of adverse reactions (P>0.05). According to the follow-up results of prognosis, the observation group presented a greatly lower recurrence rate of AR within 3 months than the control group (P<0.05). Multivariate logistics regression analysis showed that therapeutic regimen, IgE, and EOS were independent risk factors affecting the efficacy in the patients (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: Montelukast sodium combined with budesonide can substantially improve the pulmonary function in children with comorbid AR and asthma, alleviate their symptoms of asthma and rhinitis, and lower the IgE level and EOS percentage. In addition, therapeutic regimen, IgE and EOS are independent risk factors affecting the efficacy in patients.

IgG4-Related Disease Involving the Paranasal Sinus Orbit: A Case Report.

Immunoglobulin G4-related disease (IgG4-RD) is a rare and complicated clinical disease entity newly identified in recent years. It is a chronic inflammatory disease mediated by the immune system that can affect various organs throughout the body, such as the pancreas, salivary gland (submandibular gland, parotid gland, and sublingual gland), lacrimal gland, and thyroid gland. In rare cases, it involves sinuses and orbits. We describe a 44-year-old patient who was hospitalized with distension and pain in her right eye. The lesions included the nasal sinus and orbit. IgG4-RD was diagnosed after surgery and the patient was treated without complications. This case report helps to provide clinicians with additional information to assist in the diagnosis of the disease.