[Effect of corneal e-value on myopia control in children and adolescents with orthokeratology].

Objective: To investigate the influence of corneal e-value on the effectiveness of orthokeratology in controlling myopia in children and adolescents. Methods: A retrospective cohort study was conducted, involving the data from 1 563 myopic patients (1 563 eyes) who underwent orthokeratology at the Affiliated Eye Hospital of Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine from June 2015 to August 2021 and adhered to lens wear for at least 2 years. The cohort consisted of 737 males and 826 females with an average age of (10.84±2.13) years. Based on corneal e-value parameters obtained from corneal topography, patients were categorized into a low e-value group (n=425) and a high e-value group (n=1 138). Data on gender, age, parental myopia history, and baseline measures such as spherical equivalent (SE), axial length, and corneal e-value were collected. Differences in axial length change and corneal fluorescein staining rates were compared between the two groups at 1 and 2 years after the start of lens wear. A generalized linear mixed model was established with axial length change as the dependent variable to analyze the correlation between axial length change and baseline corneal e-value. Results: The initial age of the 1 563 myopic patients was (10.84±2.13) years, with a baseline SE of (-3.05±1.30) D. After 1 year of lens wear, the axial length change was (0.20±0.19) mm in the low e-value group and (0.24±0.20) mm in the high e-value group. After 2 years, the changes were (0.38±0.25) mm and (0.43±0.27) mm, respectively, with statistically significant differences (all P<0.05). The incidence of corneal staining after 1 year of lens wear was 9.2% (39/425) in the low e-value group and 14.1% (160/1 138) in the high e-value group. After 2 years, the rates were 15.8% (67/425) and 21.8% (248/1 138), respectively, with statistically significant differences (all P<0.05). After adjusting for parental myopia history, age, SE, and baseline axial length, the baseline corneal e-value was positively correlated with axial length change at 1 and 2 years after lens wear (all P<0.05). Conclusions: Corneal e-value is an independent factor influencing the effectiveness of orthokeratology in controlling myopia. A smaller corneal e-value is associated with slower axial length growth after orthokeratology, indicating better control of myopia in treated eyes.

[Precise minimally invasive treatment of mandibular fracture in children assisted by digital surgery technology].

Objective: To explore the role of digital three-dimensional printing technology and multifunctional board in the treatment of mandibular fracture in children. Methods: From January 2006 to January 2022, 42 children with mandibular fracture were treated by Department of Stomatology, in The First Affiliated Hospital of Bengbu Medical College, including 25 males and 17 females. The patients, aged from 4 to 12 years, with the median age was 10 years old, were divided into observation group (22 cases) and routine group (20 cases) according to the treatment methods. In the observation group, the multifunctional board was made before operation, and the CT data of the children were imported into Mimics software in".dicom"format, and the displaced mandible was virtually reset. The jaw reduction model was made by three-dimensional printing, and the surgical operation was simulated on the reduction model to determine the model and position of the internal fixation device and shape it. During the operation, the fracture was reduced and fixed according to the preoperative design; The conventional group was treated with open reduction and internal fixation of mandibular fracture by traditional methods, and the clinical application value was compared and analyzed through the intraoperative situation, occlusal relationship, and follow-up of the two groups. Results: The total intraoperative bleeding volume [(30.25±4.02) ml] and surgical time [(64.3±9.2) min] in the observation group were significantly lower than those in the conventional group [(35.13±5.69) ml and (84.6±13.9) min, respectively] (F=6.18, P=0.003; F=1.32, P=0.001). The excellent and good rate of occlusal relationship in the observation group [96% (21/22)] was significantly higher than that in the conventional group [85% (17/20)] (F=4.27, P=0.039). The incidence of complications, the observation group, 1 case of poor occlusion, 1 case of postoperative infection; In the routine group, there were 3 cases with poor occlusion, 1 case with nerve injury, 1 case with root injury and 1 case with tooth germ injury. Conclusions: The application of digitization three-dimensional printing technology combined with multifunctional occlusal plate in children's mandibular fracture is minimally invasive, safe, efficient and accurate, and the clinical effect is good.

[Clinicopathological features of olfactory carcinoma].

Objective: To investigate the clinicopathological features and differential diagnosis of olfactory carcinoma (OC). Methods: Twenty-one cases of sinonasal tumors, including those initially diagnosed as olfactory neuroblastoma (ONB) and those with uncertain diagnosis, were collected from the Department of Pathology, the First Affiliated Hospital of University of Science and Technology of China (Anhui Provincial Hospital) from January 2016 to August 2022, among which 3 cases were reclassified as OC. The clinicopathological features were investigated, and the remaining 18 cases were used as control. Results: Of the three OC patients, 2 were male and 1 was female, with an average age of 57 years ranging from 35 to 74 years. Microscopically, the tumor cells were arranged in solid, nested or lobulated patterns with occasional palisading around the solid nests. The stroma was highly vascular with focal neurofibrillary areas. There were prominent rosettes or pseudorosettes formation. The tumor cells were mainly ovoid to spindly with scant to moderate amount of cytoplasm, one or several small nucleoli, and fine chromatin content. Brisk mitotic figures were seen. In all 3 cases of OC, there were scanty atypical glands and some were ciliated. Immunohistochemically, at least one epithelial marker and neuroendocrine marker were diffusely expressed in the tumor. Some of the tumor cells were positive for p40 and p63, and the sustentacular cells showed the expression of S-100 protein. All cases tested were negative for NUT, CD99 and desmin, with intact expression of SMARCA4 (BRG1) and SMARCB1 (INI-1). Ki-67 proliferation index varied from 20% to 80%. Follow-up after 16-18 months showed no mortality with tumor recurrence from 1 patient after 16 months. Conclusion: OC is a rare sinonasal tumor with neuroepithelial differentiation, its histomorphology is diverse, and the combination of immunohistochemical markers is essential for appropriate diagnosis.

[Prickle planar cell polarity protein 1 involved in the pathogenesis of skeletal class â ¢ malocclusion].

Objective: To explore the mechanisms of prickle planar cell polarity protein 1 (PRICKLE1) involved in the occurrence of skeletal Class Ⅲ malocclusion. Methods: After extracting the genomic DNA of all family members of the skeletal Class Ⅲ malocclusion pedigree with maxillary hypoplasia collected in the Department of Orthodontics at the Affiliated Stomatological Hospital of Nanjing Medical University in October 2021, whole exome sequencing and Sanger sequencing were performed to screen pathogenic genes/mutation sites and validate the mutations. Jaw tissue was collected during the operation of orthognathic patients who were treated in the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery at the same hospital from October 2021 to December 2022. Following the extraction of human jaw bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells and transfection with overexpressing lentivirus (lentiviruses overexpressing the gene of interest served as the wild group, lentiviruses overexpressing mutation site served as the mutant group) and knockdown lentivirus (divided into knockdown group 1 and 2, with transfection interference negative lentiviruses as the control group). Various assays including real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR), Western blotting, proliferation and Transwell assays, alkaline phosphatase staining and alizarin red staining were performed. Construction of zebrafish animal model, morpholino oligonucleotide (MO) were injected to knock down the expression of prickle1a and prickle1b in zebrafish (co-knocking group), and the control group was injected with standardized MO as a reference. Transcriptome sequencing, enrichment analysis and co-expression analysis were performed on the zebrafish craniofacial tissues of the two groups. Results: Two patients of this family carried this mutation PRICKLE1 c.113C>T. The transfection experiments showed that compared with the wild group (relative expression of PRICKLE1 was 21.97±0.60), the relative expression of mutant group (5.05±0.05) was significantly reduced (P<0.05), and cell proliferation and migration ability significantly enhanced (P<0.05), and osteogenic differentiation ability was significantly reduced (P<0.05). Compared with the control group, the proliferation and migration ability of cells in the two knockdown groups were significantly enhanced (P<0.05), and the osteogenic differentiation ability was significantly reduced (P<0.05). Zebrafish model experiments showed the width of the ethmoid plate was significantly reduced in the co-knocking group (282.50±61.77, t=5.29, P<0.001) compared with the control group (338.80±24.92). Transcriptome data and enrichment analysis showed that the differentially expressed genes were significantly enriched in the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathway after the simultaneous knockdown of prickle1a and prickle1b in zebrafish. Conclusions: PRICKLE1 c.113C>T mutation might suppress the osteoblastic differentiation ability of jaw bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells by downregulating the MAPK signaling pathway, thereby involving the development of skeletal Class Ⅲ malocclusion.

Skin abscesses, X-linked agammaglobulinaemia and spastic paraplegias in a male patient.

We report a patient with X-linked agammaglobulinaemia and spastic paraplegias who developed skin abscesses. We highlight that dermatologists should consider the possibility of primary immunodeficiency when patients present with repeated skin infections, and should advise patients to be particularly careful about skin hygiene and avoid scratching.

MiR-376b-3p functions as a tumor suppressor by targeting KLF15 in non-small cell lung cancer.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to explore the regulatory effects of micro ribonucleic acid (miR)-376b-3p on proliferation and apoptosis of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cells by targeting Kruppel-like factor 15 (KLF15) and its mechanism of action. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The expression of miR-376b-3p in NSCLC and para-carcinoma normal tissues, as well as NSCLC cell lines, was detected via quantitative Polymerase Chain Reaction (qPCR). The effects of miR-548-3p on the proliferation, cycle distribution, and apoptosis of NSCLC cells were detected via colony formation assay, flow cytometry, and terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL) assay, respectively. The interaction between miR-376b-3p and KLF15 was determined using Dual-Luciferase reporter gene assay. In vivo tumorigenic ability of NSCLC cells was studied using nude mouse tumorigenicity assay. Furthermore, the expression of Ki67 in tumor in nude mice was detected via immunohistochemistry. RESULTS: The expression of miR-376b-3p was significantly downregulated in NSCLC tissues when compared with para-carcinoma normal tissues (p<0.05). MiR-376b-3p was lowly expressed in NSCLC cells as well (p<0.05). After overexpression of miR-376b-3p, the proliferation ability of NSCLC cells remarkably declined (p<0.05). The apoptosis rate rose, and cell cycle was arrested in the G1/G0 phase. Dual-Luciferase reporter gene assay confirmed that miR-376b-3p could specifically bind to KLF15 3'UTR to regulate the expression activity of KLF15. After overexpression of miR-376b-3p, tumor volume and weight were significantly reduced in tumor-bearing mice (p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: MiR-376b-3p plays an important role in the occurrence and development of NSCLC, which affects the proliferation and apoptosis of NSCLC cells by targeting KLF15.

Factor structure of 12 items in the Chinese Health Questionnaire among the elderly population in mainland China.

OBJECTIVES: The 12-item Chinese Health Questionnaire (CHQ-12) has been widely used for screening mental disorders. This study aims to examine the internal consistency and factor structure of CHQ-12 and its suitability for use in the elderly Chinese population. STUDY DESIGN: This is a cross-sectional study. METHODS: A total of 8526 elderly people aged ≥60 years from 11 cities in Shanxi Province were selected for participation in this study by stratified random cluster sampling. Cronbach's alpha was employed to assess internal consistency. An exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was performed to explore the underlying factor structure of the CHQ-12 in the elderly. A confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was then conducted to test and compare the goodness-of-fit between possible factor structure obtained from the EFA and the unidimensional structure, which was originally recommended. RESULTS: The Cronbach's alpha for CHQ-12 was 0.838. The EFA extracted three factors, which explained 55.985% of the total variance of the data. The CFA of the three-factor model resulted in an acceptable model fit (Comparative Fit Index = 0.98, Tucker-Lewis Index = 0.97, Normed Fit Index = 0.98, Expected Cross-Validation Index = 0.28, Root-Mean-Square Error of Approximation = 0.071). The item loadings ranged from 0.58 to 0.82. Correlation coefficients among the three factors ranged from 0.40 to 0.75. CONCLUSIONS: The CHQ-12 presented satisfactory internal consistency and structural validity in the Chinese elderly population. The CFA of the three-factor structure expressed a preferred model fit in comparison to the unidimensional model. The three-factor structure of the CHQ-12 interpreted three different aspects of mental health: somatic symptoms, anxiety and worry, and depression/poor family relationship.

[Isolation and identification of Leptospira in patients with fever of unknown origin in Guizhou province].

Objective: To understand the etiological characteristics of the patients with fever of unknown origin in Guizhou province through the isolation and identification of Leptospira interrogans and provide evidence for the control, prevention and treatment of human leptospirosis. Methods: Blood and urine samples were collected from patients with fever symptoms in Qiandongnan, an epidemic area, in Guizhou. The suspected Leptospira strains were primarily identified using pathogenic Leptospira specific G1/G2-PCR, and subsequently identified by using Leptospira serogroups specific PCR. The Leptospira strains were then genotyped with multiple locus sequence typing. MLST data based cluster analysis on the isolates and Leptospira reference strains of common serogroups were analyzed by using software NTsys 2.10e. Results: Three suspected strains of Leptospira were isolated from human blood samples, the isolation rate was 8.６%, which were designated as strain 17BX002, 17BX003 and 17AJX008. Strain 17BX002 was further identified as serogroup grippotyphosa by using Leptospira serogroup specific PCR, while the other two strains were negative (excluded as iterohaemorrhagiae, sejroe, canicola, autumnalis, grippotyphosa and hebdomadis). MLST genotyping showed that strain 17BX002 was typed as ST106, most closely clustered with Leptospira grippotyphosa, while strain 17BX003 and 17AJX008 were typed as ST96, the same as serogroup badaviae. Conclusion: There are leptospirosis cases in epidemic area of Guizhou in high incidence season, grippotyphosa and bataviae are the newly discovered serogroups of Leptospira in Guizhou.

SPARCL1 suppresses osteosarcoma metastasis and recruits macrophages by activation of canonical WNT/ß-catenin signaling through stabilization of the WNT-receptor complex.

Metastasis significantly reduces the survival rate of osteosarcoma (OS) patients. Therefore, identification of novel targets remains extremely important to prevent metastasis and treat OS. In this report, we show that SPARCL1 is downregulated in OS by epigenetic methylation of promoter DNA. In vitro and in vivo experiments revealed that SPARCL1 inhibits OS metastasis. We further demonstrated that SPARCL1-activated WNT/ß-catenin signaling by physical interaction with various frizzled receptors and lipoprotein receptor-related protein 5/6, leading to WNT-receptor complex stabilization. Activation of WNT/ß-catenin signaling contributes to the SPARCL1-mediated inhibitory effects on OS metastasis. Furthermore, we uncovered a paracrine effect of SPARCL1 on macrophage recruitment through activated WNT/ß-catenin signaling-mediated secretion of chemokine ligand5 from OS cells. These findings suggest that the targeting of SPARCL1 as a new anti-metastatic strategy for OS patients.

[Full Sibling Identification by IBS Scoring Method and Establishment of the Query Table of Its Critical Value].

OBJECTIVES: To establish a query table of IBS critical value and identification power for the detection systems with different numbers of STR loci under different false judgment standards. METHODS: Samples of 267 pairs of full siblings and 360 pairs of unrelated individuals were collected and 19 autosomal STR loci were genotyped by Goldeneye™ 20A system. The full siblings were determined using IBS scoring method according to the 'Regulation for biological full sibling testing'. The critical values and identification power for the detection systems with different numbers of STR loci under different false judgment standards were calculated by theoretical methods. RESULTS: According to the formal IBS scoring criteria, the identification power of full siblings and unrelated individuals was 0.764 0 and the rate of false judgment was 0. The results of theoretical calculation were consistent with that of sample observation. The query table of IBS critical value for identification of full sibling detection systems with different numbers of STR loci was successfully established. CONCLUSIONS: The IBS scoring method defined by the regulation has high detection efficiency and low false judgment rate, which provides a relatively conservative result. The query table of IBS critical value for identification of full sibling detection systems with different numbers of STR loci provides an important reference data for the result judgment of full sibling testing and owns a considerable practical value.

[Exploration of the rational therapeutic regimen for advanced lung cancer patients with mild tumor enlargement].

Objective: To investigate the factors that impacts of therapeutic effect in advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients with mild tumor enlargement and the rational therapeutic strategy for them. Methods: The clinicopathological features and prognostic data of advanced NSCLC patients whose sum of tumor longest diameters with 0 to 20% increase were retrospectively explored, and the Cox proportional hazards model was used to analyze the independent prognostic factors in patients. Results: The median progression-free survival (PFS) of 54 patients with the original regimen was 87 days, significantly less than 168 days of the median PFS of 49 patients with replacing regimen (P<0.001). The median PFS of other chemotherapeutic regiems (154 days) and the targeted therapy (287 days) were longer than the origional therapy (P<0.05 for all). The left 7 patients received radiotherapy. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve indicated a significant difference in the PFS when the maximal cut-off value of tumor enlargement ratio was 7%. Univariate analysis of patients with targeted therapy after disease progression showed that gender, pathological type, clinical stage, lung metastasis and tumor enlargement ratio were the prognostic factors (all of P<0.05). Multivariate analysis showed that the tumor enlargement ratio was an independent prognostic factor (P=0.001). Single factor analysis showed that the chemotherapeutic regimens before and after disease progression were prognostic factors of patients received chemotherapy after disease progression (P<0.05). Cox multivariate analysis showed that the chemotherapeutic regimen after disease progression was an independent prognostic factor of patients (P=0.004). In the patients whose tumor enlargement ratio was 0 to 7%, Univariate analysis showed that chemotherapeutic regimen before tumor enlargement was a prognostic factor (P=0.030), while Cox multivariate analysis showed that it was not an independent prognostic factor (P=0.560). In the patients whose tumor enlargement ratio was 7.1% to 20%, single factor analysis showed that pathological type, bone metastasis and chemotherapeutic regimen after disease progression were prognostic factors (all of P<0.05), and Cox multivariate analysis showed that all of them were independent prognostic factors of these patients (all of P<0.05). Conclusions: To the advanced NSCLC patients whose tumor enlargement ratio is 0 to 20%, the PFS of patients receive replacing regimen is longer than that of patients receive original regimen. There is a significant difference in the PFS when the maximal cut-off value of tumor enlargement ratio is 7%. To patients undergo second-line chemotherapy before disease progression and the tumor enlargement ratio is 7.1% to 20%, the PFS of patients receive replacing regimen is significantly extended. Dual drug replacing regimen is especially benefit to the adenocarcinoma patients without bone metastasis.

The common variants implicated in microstructural abnormality of first episode and drug-naïve patients with schizophrenia.

Both post-mortem and neuroimaging studies have identified abnormal white matter (WM) microstructure in patients with schizophrenia. However, its genetic underpinnings and relevant biological pathways remain unclear. In order to unravel the genes and the pathways associated with abnormal WM microstructure in schizophrenia, we recruited 100 first-episode, drug-naïve patients with schizophrenia and 140 matched healthy controls to conduct genome-wide association analysis of fractional anisotropy (FA) value measured using diffusing tensor imaging (DTI), followed by multivariate association study and pathway enrichment analysis. The results showed that one intergenic SNP (rs11901793), which is 20 kb upstream of CXCR7 gene on chromosome 2, was associated with the total mean FA values with genome-wide significance (p = 4.37 × 10-8), and multivariate association analysis identified a strong association between one region-specific SNP (rs10509852), 400 kb upstream of SORCS1 gene on chromosome 10, and the global trait of abnormal WM microstructure (p = 1.89 × 10-7). Furthermore, one pathway that is involved in cell cycle regulation, REACTOME_CHROMOSOME _MAINTENANCE, was significantly enriched by the genes that were identified in our study (p = 1.54 × 10-17). In summary, our study provides suggestive evidence that abnormal WM microstructure in schizophrenia is associated with genes that are likely involved in diverse biological signals and cell-cycle regulation although further replication in a larger independent sample is needed.

[Molecular epidemiologic study on Mycobacterium tuberculosis from drug resistance monitoring sites of Guangdong Province, 2015].

Objective: To understand the characteristics of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) in epidemiology and distribution from Guangdong Province, and to explore the risk factors associated with drug resistance. Methods: A total of 225 clinical strains of MTB collected from 5 drug resistance monitoring sites of Guangdong Province in 2015 were tested by Regions of Difference 105 (RD105) deletion test and 15 loci mycobacterial interspersed repetitive units (MIRU) were used for genotyping. Gene clustering was analyzed using BioNumerics7.6. Drug susceptibility test was tested by proportion method. The statistical analysis used chi-square test and multivariate logistic regression. Results: There were 158 (70.2%) Beijing family strains from the 225 cases. Hunter-gaston index of MIRU loci varied from each other. The MTBs from Guangdong Province were categorized into 2 gene clusters by clustering analysis in which the rate of cluster of complexⅠwas significantly higher than complexⅡ(χ(2) values were 9.331, P values were 0.020). It was found by multivariate logistic regression that Qub11b was associated with resistance to rifampicin and isoniazid (P values were 0.013, 0.012 respectively.), ETR F with resistance to isoniazid, streptomycin, ethambutol and ofloxacin (P values were 0.039, 0.040, 0.023 and 0.003 respectively), Mtub21 with resistance to capreomycin (P values were 0.040), and QUB26 with resistance to ethionamide (P values were 0.047). Conclusions: The genes of MTB from Guangdong Province were of polymorphisms and the distribution of strains were stable. QUB11b, ETR F, Mtub21 and QUB26 could be related to biomarkers for predicting drug resistance.

Mental health and related influencing factors among the empty-nest elderly and the non-empty-nest elderly in Taiyuan, China: a cross-sectional study.

OBJECTIVE: In China, elderly make up a large proportion of the society, but their mental health is often overlooked. The aim of this study is to compare mental health and related influencing factors among the empty-nest and the non-empty-nest elderly, and attain the purpose of improving their quality of life. STUDY DESIGN: Cross-sectional survey. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 488 elderly people aged 60-92 years in six districts of Taiyuan, China. A demographic questionnaire and SCL-90-R were employed to collect demographic variables and evaluate mental health, respectively. Multiple regression analysis was performed to estimate factors related to mental health of the elderly. RESULTS: The empty-nest elderly were mostly male, married, higher education level, higher income and living in urban areas. The scores of SCL-90-R among the empty-nest elderly were lower than those of the non-empty-nest elderly except for psychoticism. Comparing with scores of national norms, some dimension of SCL-90-R had statistically significant differences. Multiple regression analysis showed that the main risk factors of the empty-nest elderly were gender and income, whereas the main risk factor of the non-empty-nest elderly was chronic diseases. CONCLUSION: The mental health status of the empty-nest elderly was better than that of the non-empty-nest elderly. Overall mental health of the study population was at a high level compared with national norms. The elderly who were male, with younger age, having higher income, and without chronic diseases had better mental health status.

Does live music benefits patients with brain and spinal injury?

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study is to examine the feasibility and prospective success associated with implementing and evaluating a six-week live music intervention on an inpatient neurorehabilitation ward. PATIENTS AND METHODS: In total 26 patients were included in this study. Out of which, 15 were patients and 11 were staff members. Staff participants completed wellbeing measures at before and after music. Patients completed an assortment of validated measures at five consecutive time points from baseline to follow-up. Staff participants experienced a minor decrease in wellbeing over time. RESULTS: The majority of the data collected from patients illustrated positive trends, with improvements in wellbeing, pain, cognition functioning, independent functioning, and mobility. The feasibility indicates that with modifications that this project is a viable venture. CONCLUSIONS: We found that live music appears to be promising new addition to neurorehabilitation.