[Association of vitamin D deficiency with severity of symptoms in children with vasovagal syncope].

Objective: To investigate the correlation between vitamin D deficiency and the severity of symptoms in children with vasovagal syncope (VVS). Methods: A prospective study was conducted. One hundred and twenty-two children diagnosed with VVS by head up tilt test in Department of Pediatric Cardiology and 130 healthy children without symptoms who underwent physical examination in the outpatient department of Child Healthcare Department of Second Hospital of Lanzhou University from December 2019 to May 2021 were selected and assigned to VVS group and control group, respectively. According to the diagnostic criteria of vitamin D deficiency, children in the VVS group were assigned to three subgroups: non-vitamin D deficiency, vitamin D deficiency, and severe vitamin D deficiency. All children underwent detailed history taking, physical examination, and level determination of serum 25 (OH) D. Children in the VVS group were scored for orthostatic intolerance (OI) symptoms including 10 symptoms: syncope, dizziness, nausea, palpitation, headache, tremor, chest tightness, blurred vision, profuse perspiration, and attention deficit. The differences in the age, gender, body mass index, blood pressure, and serum 25 (OH) D levels between VVS group and control group, and the differences regarding the age, gender, body mass index, blood pressure, serum 25 (OH) D levels and symptom scores among the three VVS subgroups were compared. Comparisons were performed using independent sample t test, ANOVA analysis, Chi square test and rank sum test. Pearson correlation analysis was used to analyze the correlation between serum 25 (OH) D levels and OI symptom scores in children with VVS. Results: The serum 25 (OH) D levels were significantly lower in the VVS group than those in the control group ((31±11) vs. (46±10) nmol/L, t=10.89, P<0.001). Vitamin D deficiency was more frequent in the VVS group (73.0% (89/122) vs. 24.6% (32/130), χ²=58.91, P<0.001). There were significant differences among the severe vitamin D deficiency subgroup, vitamin D deficiency subgroup, and non-vitamin D deficiency subgroup regarding the serum 25 (OH) D levels ((9.8±0.4) vs. (26.6±6.5) vs. (45.8±5.9) nmol/L, F=142.77, P<0.001) and the OI symptom scores ((14±1) vs. (10±2) vs. (7±2) scores, F=44.97, P<0.001). The scores of syncope, nausea, profuse perspiration, blurred vision and dizziness among the severe vitamin D deficiency subgroup, vitamin D deficiency subgroup, and non-vitamin D deficiency subgroup were statistically significant (H=9.01, 7.52, 12.11, 7.07 and 9.54, respectively, all P<0.05). Pearson correlation analysis showed that the serum 25 (OH) D levels were negatively correlated with OI symptom scores in children with VVS (r=-0.769, P<0.001). Conclusions: VVS children have significant vitamin D deficiency. The severity of symptoms increases with decreasing of vitamin D level. Syncope, nausea, and profuse perspiration are more likely to occur in children with severe vitamin D deficiency, and dizziness and blurred vision are more likely to occur in children with vitamin D deficiency.

Coronavirus disease 2019: a bibliometric analysis and review.

OBJECTIVE: On December 8, 2019, many cases of pneumonia with unknown etiology were first reported in Wuhan, China, subsequently identified as a novel coronavirus infection aroused worldwide concern. As the outbreak is ongoing, more and more researchers focused interest on the COVID-19. Therefore, we retrospectively analyzed the publications about COVID-19 to summarize the research hotspots and make a review, to provide reference for researchers in the world. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We conducted a search in PubMed using the keywords "COVID-19" from inception to March 1, 2020. Identified and analyzed the data included title, corresponding author, language, publication time, publication type, research focus. RESULTS: 183 publications published from 2020 January 14 to 2020 February 29 were included in the study. The first corresponding authors of the publications were from 20 different countries. Among them, 78 (42.6%) from the hospital, 64 (35%) from the university and 39 (21.3%) from the research institution. All the publications were published in 80 different journals. Journal of Medical Virology published most of them (n=25). 60 (32.8%) were original research, 29 (15.8%) were review, 20 (10.9%) were short communications. 68 (37.2%) epidemiology, 49 (26.8%) virology and 26 (14.2%) clinical features. CONCLUSIONS: According to our review, China has provided a large number of research data for various research fields, during the outbreak of COVID-19. Most of the findings play an important role in preventing and controlling the epidemic around the world. With research on the COVID-19 still booming, new vaccine and effective medicine for COVID-19 will be expected to come out in the near future with the joint efforts of researchers worldwide.

Antioxidant activity of gallic acid from rose flowers in senescence accelerated mice.

The activities of the antioxidant enzymes catalase (CAT) and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) in the blood and liver of the aging model induced by injection of different doses of D-gal into normal mice, and in senescence accelerated mice (SAM) of different ages, were determined. The results showed that the enzyme activities in the D-gal treated mice did not alter appreciably but the enzyme activities in blood of the SAM declined significantly with the increase in age, especially in the 9-month-old SAM. When gallic acid purified from rose flowers was used to treat the 9-month-old male SAM, it not only reinstated the activities of CAT and GPx but also significantly reduced the amount of malondialdehyde (MDA) in the liver, brain and kidney. The results demonstrated that 9-month-old male SAM represent an appropriate animal model to evaluate the antioxidant activities of natural products.

Rose (Rosa rugosa)-flower extract increases the activities of antioxidant enzymes and their gene expression and reduces lipid peroxidation.

The effects of rose-flower extract on antioxidant enzymes were studied. The activities of catalase (CAT) and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) in 9-month-old senescence-accelerated mice (SAM mice) were lower than those in 6-month-old SAM mice. Therefore, 9-month-old SAM mice were the most appropriate targets for treatment with the rose-flower extract. The activities of CAT and GPx in SAM mice treated with rose-flower extract showed a marked increase in whole blood and liver. At the same time, the gene-expression level of CAT and GPx was upregulated in the liver, while malondialdehyde content in liver and brain decreased. Male SAM mice were more sensitive than female SAM mice. The mean and the longest lifespan of SAM mice were longer after treatment with rose-flower extract.

A gallic acid derivative and polysaccharides with antioxidative activity from rose (Rosa rugosa) flowers.

In this study, the major antioxidant components of rose flower were identified. An aqueous extract of rose flowers was chromatographed on CM-cellulose in ammonium acetate buffer (10 mM, pH 4.5) to yield three un-adsorbed peaks F1, F2 and F3. Each of these peaks was subjected to gel filtration on Sephadex G75. F1 yielded two peaks, whereas both F2 and F3 gave rise to only a single peak. Spectroscopic studies using NMR and FTIR revealed that F3 is a gallic acid derivative. It exhibited the highest antioxidative potency. F1-a derived from F1 by gel filtration is mainly a polysaccharide-peptide complex with less potent antioxidative activity. F2 is a polysaccharide also with reduced antioxidant activity. This study demonstrates, for the first time, the presence of both gallic acid derivatives and polysaccharides as major antioxidant principles of the aqueous extract of rose flowers.

[The clinical significance of aberrant HLA-DR antigen expression on thyrocytes].

500 Tru-cut thyroid tissue specimens were analyzed by ABC immunohistochemistry technique by using monoclonal antibodies specific for activated lymphocytes, cytokines and HLA-DR antigen. The study revealed that DR antigen expression on thyrocytes was positively correlated with the total number of thyroid infiltrating cells, the percentage of Tac + cells, TLiSA1 + cells, T9+ cells, interferon-r+ cells, interleukin-2+ cells, especially I2+ cells, tumor necrosis factor+ cells and also positively correlated with serum TSH, thyroid microsomal antibody, thyroid globulin antibody levels. The DR expression on thyrocytes was most intense in autoimmune thyroiditis, with subacute thyroiditis, thyrotoxicosis with thyroiditis, Graves disease, goiter following in sequence and thyroid tumor being the weakest. Thyroxine treatment can suppress DR expression on thyrocytes. Our data suggest that the extent of DR expression on thyrocytes may be regarded as a new important index for clinical diagnosis, prognosis and evaluation of the therapeutic results.

[Analysis of mononuclear cell subsets infiltrated and DR-positive epithelial cells in autoimmune thyroid diseases].

Specimens of thyroid tissue from 37 cases of autoimmune thyroiditis (AT), 13 cases of thyrotoxicosis accompanied with thyroiditis (TTOT), and 23 cases of Graves' disease (GD) were analyzed by immunohistochemistry with monoclonal antibodies. The majority of infiltrating mononuclear cells were learnt to be T cells. T+4 cells were abundant in lymphoid follicles and many T+8 cells were noticed in those areas with advanced destruction. B lymphocytes were predominantly located at the germinal centers. Most importantly, DR-positive thyroid epithelial cells were significantly increased with intense lymphocytes infiltration and severe destruction of the thyroid architecture. The percentage of T cell subpopulations, B cells, macrophages were somewhat similar. Anyhow, the increase of total number of infiltrating cells and the extent of inflammatory injury were remarkable in GD, TTOT and AT. The results support the idea that some GD cases may further develop in to autoimmune thyroiditis later.

Effect of extract of Hirudo Medicinalis L. against adherence of calcium oxalate crystals to acid-injured bladder mucosa.

The effect of extract of Hirudo Medicinalis L. on preventing the adhesion of calcium oxalate crystals to 0.1 M hydrochloric acid-injured bladder urothelium of the rat was studied. It was found that in this species the extract coated to the bladder mucosa after it was instilled into the chemically injured bladder; and the adhesion of calcium oxalate crystals was prevented. In regard to the anti-adhesion property the Hirudo extract appears more effective than heparin, a documented glycosaminoglycan.