Current status of vitamin D2 deficiency among children in a region of China.

Background: The aim of this study was to explore the current status of vitamin D2 (VD2) deficiency in hospitalized children in a region of China. Methods: The instances of detection of vitamin D (VD) and VD2 in children who visited the hospital from January 2022 to May 2023 were analyzed retrospectively. Additionally, the relationships between VD2 level and gender and age were further analyzed. Furthermore, for departments with a high frequency of VD detection, the VD2 deficiencies in children with different diseases were further analyzed. Results: Among the different age groups, children aged 11-15 years exhibited the most severe VD2 deficiency, followed by those aged 7-10 years, 0-1 years, and 2-6 years. Moreover, 25(OH)D2 levels were significantly lower in children aged 7-10 years and 11-15 years compared with 2-6 years. Gender did not have an impact on the level of 25(OH)D2. When analyzing the orthopedics, dermatology, thoracic surgery, and nephroimmunology departments' data on children's levels of 25(OH)D2, it was found that an average of approximately 76.56% had levels below <1.5 ng/ml compared to individuals with levels between >15 ng/ml and 100 ng/ml. The average ratio between individuals with <1.5 ng/ml vs. those with <15 ng/ml was found to be 91.22%. Conclusions: Children who came to the hospital were severely deficient in VD2. The degree of deficiency was related to age, but there was no gender difference. The phenomenon of VD2 deficiency was reflected in children with both skeletal and non-skeletal diseases.

Aggregation-induced emission-active iridium (III)-based mitochondria-targeting nanoparticle for two-photon imaging-guided photodynamic therapy.

The efficacy of imaging-guided photodynamic therapy (PDT) is compromised by the attenuation of fluorescence and decline in reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation efficiency in the physiological environment of conventional photosensitizers, limited near-infrared (NIR) absorption, and high systemic cytotoxicity. This paper presents the synthesis of two cyclometalated Ir (III) complexes (Ir-thpy and Ir-ppy) by using a triphenylamine derivative (DPTPA) as the primary ligand and their encapsulation into an amphiphilic phospholipid to form nanoparticles (NPs). These complexes exhibit aggregation-induced emission features and remarkably enhanced ROS generation compared to Chlorin e6 (Ce6). Moreover, Ir-thpy NPs possess the unique ability to selectively target mitochondria, leading to depolarization of the mitochondrial membrane potential and ultimately triggering apoptosis. Notably, Ir-thpy NPs exhibit exceptional photocytotoxicity even towards cisplatin-resistant A549/DDP tumor cells. In vivo two-photon imaging verified the robust tumor-targeting efficacy of Ir-thpy NPs. The in vivo results unequivocally demonstrate that Ir-thpy NPs exhibit excellent tumor ablation along with remarkable biocompatibility. This study presents a promising approach for the development of multifunctional Ir-NPs for two-photon imaging-guided PDT and provides novel insights for potential clinical applications in oncology.

Effect and Mechanisms of Huangqi-Shanzhuyu in the Treatment of Diabetic Nephropathy based on Network Pharmacology and In Vitro Experiments.

BACKGROUND: Huangqi-Shanzhuyu (HS), a classic combination of Chinese herbal formulae, has been widely used for the treatment of diabetic nephropathy (DN). However, its pharmacological mechanism of action is still unclear. METHODS: The active ingredients of HS and their potential targets were identified through the Traditional Chinese Medicine Systems Pharmacology Database and Analysis Platform (TCMSP) and the DN-related targets were determined from GeneCards, Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man (OMIM), PharmGkb, and Therapeutic Target Database (TTD). The Cytoscape software was used to construct a herb-disease-target network and screen core genes. STRING was employed to generate a protein-protein interaction (PPI) network. Gene Ontology and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) enrichment analyses were performed to predict the mechanism of action of HS in DN. Animal experiments and molecular docking were used to verify the potential mechanism. RESULTS: In total, 40 active ingredients and 180 effective targets of HS in DN were identified and 1115 DN-related targets were retrieved. From the PPI network, VEGFA, AKT1, IL6, IL1B, TP53, MMP9, PTGS2, CASP3, EGF and EGFR were identified as core genes. The anti-DN mechanism mainly involved multiple signaling pathways such as AGEs-RAGE. Animal experiments and molecular docking analysis confirmed that HS downregulated the expression of IL-1 and IL-6 via kaempferol-mediated inhibition of JNK1 phosphorylation. CONCLUSIONS: HS exhibits a therapeutic effect in DN through its multiple ingredients that act on several targets and multiple signaling pathways, including AGEs-RAGE.

A cross-sectional study exploring the relationship between the dietary inflammatory index and hyperlipidemia based on the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (2005-2018).

BACKGROUND: Hyperlipidemia is closely associated with dietary patterns and inflammation. However, the relationship between hyperlipidemia and the inflammatory potential of diets remains unexplored. The research was conducted to examine the relationship between hyperlipidemia and dietary inflammatory index (DII). METHODS: The data utilized in the research were acquired from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) from 2005 to 2018. The information on dietary intake was gathered by conducting 24-h dietary recall interviews. Restricted cubic spline (RCS) and Survey-weighted logistic regression were utilized to determine the association between DII and hyperlipidemia. Furthermore, stratification analysis was carried out. RESULTS: This study included 8982 individuals with and 3458 without hyperlipidemia. Participants with hyperlipidemia exhibited higher DII scores than those without hyperlipidemia. Following adjustment for gender, age, race, education level, marital status, poverty, drinking status, diabetes, hypertension, smoking status, body mass index (BMI), chronic kidney disease (CKD), cardiovascular disease (CVD), and hemoglobin (Hb), the association between the prevalence of hyperlipidemia and DII remained significant. The RCS data demonstrated that the hyperlipidemia prevalence did not exhibit an increase until the DII score was approximately 2.78. Stratification analysis revealed that the association between DII and hyperlipidemia persisted in all subgroups. CONCLUSIONS: DII was associated with hyperlipidemia, and the threshold DII score for the risk of hyperlipidemia was 2.78.

Effect and Safety of Cinnamaldehyde on Immunosuppressed Mice with Invasive Pulmonary Candidiasis.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effect and safety of cinnamaldehyde on immunosuppressed mice with invasive pulmonary candidiasis. METHODS: An immunosuppressed BALB/c mouse model was established by intraperitoneal administration of cyclophosphamide (200 mg/kg) once daily for 2 days. The immunosuppressed mouse with invasive pulmonary candidiasis model was further established by nasal perfusion of Candida albicans suspension. In the cinnamaldehyde treatment group, immunosuppressed mice with invasive pulmonary candidiasis were orally given cinnamaldehyde 240 mg/(kg·d) for 14 consecutive days. Fluconazole and 0.9% saline were used as the positive and negative controls, respectively. The mice in the cinnamaldehyde safety evaluation group were orally administered cinnamaldehyde 480 mg/(kg·d) for 42 days to observe the safety of the drug. Microscopic identification, fungal culture, histopathological examination, and (1,3)-beta-D-glucans detection were conducted to analyze the effect of cinnamaldehyde on C. albicans. RESULTS: The fungal clearance rate in the cinnamaldehyde treatment group was higher than that in the fluconazole control group (80.00% vs. 56.67%, P<0.05). The level of (1,3)-ß-D-glucan in the cinnamaldehyde treatment group was lower than that in the fluconazole positive control group (1160.62 ±89.65 pg/mL vs. 4285.87 ± 215.62 pg/mL, P<0.05). The survival rate of mice in the cinnamaldehyde safety evaluation group was 100%, and no significant pathological changes of kidney, lung and liver were observed. CONCLUSIONS: Cinnamaldehyde was effective and safe in treating immunosuppressed BALB/c mice with invasive pulmonary candidiasis. It would be a potentially novel drug for anti-candidiasis infection.

Effects of Cinnamaldehyde on the Cell Wall of A. fumigatus and Its Application in Treating Mice with Invasive Pulmonary Aspergillosis.

BACKGROUND: The invasive pulmonary aspergillosis is a kind of high incidence of disease with difficulties in treatment, poor prognosis, and high mortality. OBJECTIVES: The study aimed to reveal the effect of cinnamaldehyde on the fungal cell wall and verify its efficacy on invasive pulmonary aspergillosis on immunosuppressed Institute of Cancer Research mice (ICR mice). METHODS: ICR mice were given cyclophosphamide 200 mg.kg-1. d-1 by intraperitoneal injection for 2 days. On the 4th day, the mice were given 50 µL of Aspergillosis fumigatus spore (107colony form unit CFU/mL) by intranasal injection to establish immunosuppressive animal models with invasive Aspergillosis fumigatus infection. Then the mice in treatment group orally administered cinnamaldehyde for 14 consecutive days, while voriconazole was given to the mice in the positive control group. RESULTS: The clearance rate of pulmonary fungi, cure rate, and reduction of 1,3-ß-D-glucans in treatment group were 80.00%, 80.00%, and 81.00%, respectively while in positive control group they were 67.00%, 60.00%, and 62.00%, respectively. There were significant differences in the results between two groups as mentioned above (P<0.05). Electron microscopy showed that, in treatment group, the cell wall of Aspergillus fumigatus was dissolved and detached and the cell surface was incomplete. There were edema, degeneration, and necrosis in nucleus and organelle, which lead to cellular necrocytosis. The cytomembrane of Aspergillus fumigatus was intact, clear, and complete, whereas the cytomembrane in the positive control group disappeared. The hyphal morphology of Aspergillus fumigatus was deformed, but the cell wall was intact. CONCLUSION: Cinnamaldehyde has a good curative effect in the treatment of invasive pulmonary aspergillus infection in immunodeficient mice. It mainly affects the synthesis of 1,3-ß-D-glucans from the cytoderm of Aspergillus fumigatus but does not affect cell wall. It would potentially be an effective and novel drug for targeted treatment of Aspergillus fumigatus deep infection.

A new hand-held microfluidic cytometer for evaluating irradiation damage by analysis of the damaged cells distribution.

Space radiation brings uneven damages to cells. The detection of the distribution of cell damage plays a very important role in radiation medicine and the related research. In this paper, a new hand-held microfluidic flow cytometer was developed to evaluate the degree of radiation damage of cells. The device we propose overcomes the shortcomings (e.g., large volume and high cost) of commercial flow cytometers and can evaluate the radiation damage of cells accurately and quickly with potential for onsite applications. The distribution of radiation-damaged cells is analyzed by a simultaneous detection of immunofluorescence intensity of γ-H2AX and resistance pulse sensor (RPS) signal. The γ-H2AX fluorescence intensity provides information of the degree of radiation damage in cells. The ratio of the number of cells with γ-H2AX fluorescence signals to the total numbers of cells detected by RPS indicates the percentage of the cells that are damaged by radiation. The comparison experiment between the developed hand-held microfluidic flow cytometer and a commercial confocal microscope indicates a consistent and comparable detection performance.

Effectiveness of drug treatment strategies to prevent asthma exacerbations and increase symptom-free days in asthmatic children: a network meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the effectiveness and safety of current maintenance therapies that include inhaled corticosteroids (ICS), long-acting ß-agonists (LABA) and/or leukotriene receptor antagonists (LTRAs) in preventing exacerbations and improving symptoms in pediatric asthma. METHODS: A systematic review with network meta-analysis was conducted after a comprehensive search for relevant studies in the PubMed, Cochrane Library, Embase and Clinical Trials databases, up to July 2014. Randomized clinical trials were selected comparing treatment strategies of the Global Initiative for Asthma guidelines. The full-text randomized clinical trials compared maintenance treatments for asthma in children (≤18 years) of ≥4 weeks duration, reporting exacerbations or symptom-free days. The primary and secondary effectiveness outcomes were the rates of moderate/severe exacerbations and symptom-free days from baseline, respectively. Withdrawal rates were taken as the safety outcome. RESULTS: Included in the network meta-analysis was 35 trials, comprising 12,010 patients. For both primary and secondary outcomes, combined ICS and LABA was ranked first in effectiveness (OR 0.70, 95% CI: 0.52-0.97 and OR 1.23, 95% CI: 0.94-1.61, respectively, compared with low-dose ICS), but the result of secondary outcomes was statistically insignificant. Low-dose ICS, medium- or high-dose ICS and combined ICS and LTRA strategies were comparable in effectiveness. ICS monotherapies, and ICS + LABA and ICS + LTRA strategies were similarly safe. High-dose ICS had the highest rate of total withdrawals, but the difference was not significant. CONCLUSIONS: Combined ICS and LABA treatments were most effective in preventing exacerbations among pediatric asthma patients. Medium- or high-dose ICS, combined ICS and LTRAs, and low-dose ICS treatments seem to be equally effective.