Study of height, sitting height, lower extremity length, and the prevalence of short stature among elementary school students in the Tianyuan District of Zhuzhou City.

In this study, the height, sitting height, lower extremity length, growth status, and body proportions of elementary school students aged 6 to 12 years in Tianyuan District of Zhuzhou City, China, were analyzed. A total of 41,156 children from 38 elementary schools in the Tianyuan District of Zhuzhou City were selected for height measurement, employing the cluster sampling method. After the cluster data were obtained, the height and sitting height information were extracted, and calculations were performed for lower extremity length, sitting height-to-lower extremity length ratio, and sitting height-to-height ratio. Statistical analysis was conducted using SPSS 23.0 software. The height and sitting height measurements of boys and girls aged 6 to 12 years in Tianyuan District surpassed the 2005 national standard set for 9 cities, while the lower extremities of children within the 7 to 9 age range fell below the national standard. In alignment with the national average, the fitted curve representing height for both boys and girls aged 6 to 12 years in Tianyuan District exhibited an intersection point around 10 to 10.5 years. No discernible distinction was observed in the incidence of short stature, as analyzed through the P3 standard, between the fitted curve for Tianyuan District and the national standard. Moreover, tall children exhibited a significantly lower sitting height-to-height ratio compared to their shorter counterparts. The fitted height curve in Tianyuan District, Zhuzhou City, proves effective in discerning shorter-statured children within the region. Nevertheless, further research is warranted to elucidate the factors contributing to the comparatively shorter lower extremities observed in children from Tianyuan District, Zhuzhou City, in contrast to the national average.

A Case of Floating-Harbor Syndrome with "Growth and Language Development Delay" as Its Clinical Manifestation.

Background: Floating-Harbor syndrome (FHS) is a rare autosomal dominant inherited disease characterized primarily by short stature, delayed language development, and typical facial features. There are currently few case reports, diagnoses and treatments for these syndromes at home and abroad. Case Description: This study reports a case of a boy with "growth and language development delay" as the predominant clinical manifestation. FHS was clinically diagnosed based on his growth hormone (GH) deficiency, significant bone age delay, left testicular hydrocele, and the whole exon gene in peripheral blood, which indicated heterozygous mutation of SRCAP gene. Following the treatment with recombinant human GH (rhGH), the child exhibited height increase benefits, and his articulation improved after language therapy. Conclusion: Genetic testing facilitates early detection, diagnosis, and treatment of the FHS. Additionally, treatment with rhGH effectively increases the height of these children, and language rehabilitation is especially important for their language development.

A Case Report of Cardiofaciocutaneous Syndrome with MAP2K1 Pathogenic Variant.

Craniofacial dysmorphism, cardiac abnormalities, ectodermal abnormalities, psychomotor delay, intellectual disability, and short stature are all hallmarks of the extremely rare disorder known as cardiofaciocutaneous syndrome (CFCS). Although CFCS is considered rare, approximately 300 cases have been documented in the literature. In this report, we discuss a patient diagnosed with CFCS without the typical heart malformations but with craniofacial features, skin abnormalities, intellectual disability, and short stature. Genetic testing revealed the presence of three potentially harmful variants: one in the MAP2K1 gene and two in the ATP2B3 and CDC42BPB genes, the significance of which is currently not yet found. Our findings in this case report suggest that the clinical symptoms of CFCS may be atypical, thereby expanding our understanding of the symptom spectrum of the disease. Simultaneously, the link between the clinical symptoms of the patient and the two unknown pathogenic variants has not been established. This case report supplements existing clinical reference material by providing valuable insights into the specific scenario.

Case Report: A Novel Homozygous Mutation of Cyclin O Gene Mutation in Primary Ciliary Dyskinesia with Short Stature.

Background: Primary ciliary dyskinesia (PCD) is a group of autosomal recessive genetic diseases caused by abnormal ciliary ultrastructure and/or function, resulting in reduced ciliary clearance function or other dysfunctions. PCD is one of the causes of recurrent respiratory tract infections in children. At present, there is no gold standard for diagnosis. In patients clinically suspected with PCD, a variety of examination methods are available to assist in diagnosis, such as high-speed video microscopic imaging to analyze ciliary movement patterns, transmission electron microscopy to observe ciliary ultrastructure, genetic testing, and detection of nitric oxide content in nasal expiratory air. Case Description: We present a case summary of the clinical data and treatment process of a child with PCD and short stature induced by Novel exon 1 of CCNO mutation (NM-021147.5) at c.323del, and the proband father and mother were heterozygous mutators, who was diagnosed and treated in the Pediatric Healthcare Department of our hospital. We treated the child with recombinant human growth hormone to increase the height, and the patient was also advised to improve nutrition, prevent and control infections, and encouraged sputum expectoration. We also recommended regular follow-up visits to the outpatient department, and to seek other symptomatic and supportive treatments as necessary. Conclusion: The height and nutritional status of the child improved after treatment. We also reviewed relevant literature to help clinicians improve their understanding of this disease.

Serum Fat-Soluble Vitamin Levels of 6,082 Minors in Zhuzhou City.

Objective: To explore the nutritional status of serum fat-soluble vitamins such as vitamin A, 25-hydroxyvitamin D, and vitamin E of minors in the Zhuzhou area to provide a scientific basis for clinical guidance to supplement fat-soluble vitamins reasonably. Method: A total of 6,082 minors who underwent physical examination from January 2017 to February 2019 in the Children's Health Department of Zhuzhou Hospital affiliated with XiangYa School of Medicine of Central South University were selected as the subjects to measure the levels of serum fat-soluble vitamins A, D, and E. Results: (1) Their average levels of serum vitamin A, 25-hydroxyvitamin D, and vitamin E were (0.34 ± 0.08) mg/mL, (34.65 ± 10.24) ng/mL, and (10.11 ± 2.65) mg/mL, respectively. (2) Serum vitamin E showed a gender difference (P < 0.001). (3) The average levels of serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D and vitamin E in infancy, early childhood, preschool age, school age, and adolescence decreased gradually (P < 0.05). In contrast, the average level of serum vitamin A ranged between 0.32 mg/mL and 0.37 mg/mL. (4) The age was negatively correlated with serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (r = -0.517, P < 0.001) and weakly negatively correlated with vitamin E (r = -0.366, P < 0.001), but weakly positively correlated with vitamin A (r = 0.269, P < 0.001). Conclusion: Minors from infancy to adolescence in Zhuzhou should strengthen their supplementation of fat-soluble vitamins.

Clinical observation of Kuntai capsule combined with Fenmotong in treatment of decline of ovarian reserve function.

BACKGROUND: Decreased ovarian reserve function is an ovarian hypofunction disease that occurs in women before 40 years of age, leading to a decline in fertility and perimenopausal symptoms, such as irregular menstruation, amenorrhea, infertility, decreased libido, and autonomic nervous dysfunction. Fenmatong (FMT) is a compound mixture of estradiol tablets and estradiol didroxyprogesterone tablets, which can improve ovarian reserve function by supplementation of exogenous estrogen. However, this treatment has also been shown to cause breast pain, gastrointestinal discomfort, irregular vaginal bleeding, and changes in sexual desire. In severe cases, FMT can promote the development of breast cancer, endometrial cancer, and venous embolic disease. AIM: To observe the effects of Kuntai capsules and FMT on endocrine indexes and uterine artery blood circulation in patients with decreased ovarian reserve function. METHODS: Patients (130) with decreased ovarian reserve function, who were treated in our hospital from May 2018 to May 2020, were divided into two groups: The FMT group, in which patients were treated with FMT, and the observation group, in which patients were treated with Kuntai capsules. Chinese medicine symptom scores, uterine artery blood flow parameters, ovarian ultrasound test indexes, pictorial blood loss assessment chart (PBAC) scores, and hormone levels were recorded, and total effective rates were calculated for both groups. RESULTS: The total effective rate in the observation group was higher than that in the FMT group (P < 0.05).After treatment, primary symptoms, including low menstrual volume, delayed menstruation, red color and thick consistency of menses, dizziness, palpitation, weakness at the waist and knee, insomnia and excessive dreaming, irritability, and dryness and astringency of the pudendal canal in the observation group decreased, and scores for primary and secondary symptoms in the observation group were significantly lower than those in the FMT group (P < 0.05).The systolic peak flow rate (PSV), end-diastolic flow rate (EDV), ovarian diameter, sinus follicle count, and resistance index (RI) of the uterine arteries in the observation group and FMT group increased after treatment. Notably, the PSV, EDV, ovarian diameter, and antral follicle count in the observation group were higher than those in the FMT group, whereas the RI in the observation group was lower than that in the FMT group (P < 0.05).The PBAC scores in the observation and FMT groups increased after treatment, with that in the observation group becoming significantly higher than that in the FMT group (P < 0.05). After treatment, estradiol (E2) and anti-Mullerian hormone (AMH) levels increased, whereas follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) levels decreased in the observation group and FMT group; E2 and AMH levels became significantly higher and FSH levels became significantly lower in the observation group than in the FMT group (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Compared with FMT, Kuntai capsules promoted uterine artery blood circulation, improved menstruation, relieved symptoms, regulated endocrine function, and improved curative effects.

A Metabolomics Approach to Investigate Kukoamine B-A Potent Natural Product With Anti-diabetic Properties.

Due to the surge in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), treatments for chronic metabolic dysregulations with fewer side-effects are sought. Lycii Cortex (LyC), a traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) herb has a long history of being widely prescribed to treat T2DM as alternative medicine; however, the bioactive molecules and working mechanism remained unknown. Previous studies revealed kukoamine B (KB) as a major and featured compound for LyC with bioactivities for anti-oxidation and acute inflammation, which may be related to anti-diabetes properties. This study aims to understand the efficacy and the mode of action of KB in the diabetic (db/db) mouse model using a metabolomics approach. Parallel comparison was conducted using the first-line anti-diabetic drugs, metformin and rosligtazone, as positive controls. The db/db mice were treated with KB (50 mg kg-1 day-1) for 9 weeks. Bodyweight and fasting blood glucose were monitored every 5 and 7 days, respectively. Metabolomics and high-throughput molecular approaches, including lipidomics, targeted metabolomics (Biocrates p180), and cytokine profiling were applied to measure the alteration of serum metabolites and inflammatory biomarkers between different treatments vs. control (db/db mice treated with vehicle). After 9 weeks of treatment, KB lowered blood glucose, without the adverse effects of bodyweight gain and hepatomegaly shown after rosiglitazone treatment. Lipidomics analysis revealed that KB reduced levels of circulating triglycerides, cholesterol, phosphatidylethanolamine, and increased levels of phosphatidylcholines. KB also increased acylcarnitines, and reduced systemic inflammation (cytokine array). Pathway analysis suggested that KB may regulate nuclear transcription factors (e.g., NF-κB and/or PPAR) to reduce inflammation and facilitate a shift toward metabolic and inflammatory homeostasis. Comparison of KB with first-line drugs suggests that rosiglitazone may over-regulate lipid metabolism and anti-inflammatory responses, which may be associated with adverse side effects, while metformin had less impact on lipid and anti-inflammation profiles. Our research from holistic and systemic views supports the conclusion that KB is the bioactive compound of LyC for managing T2DM, and suggests KB as a nutraceutical or a pharmaceutical candidate for T2D treatment. In addition, our research provides insights related to metformin and rosiglitazone action, beyond lowering blood glucose.