Combined IFN-ß and PLT Detection Can Identify Kawasaki Disease Efficiently.

Objective: To evaluate the value of combined interferon ß (IFN-ß) and platelet (PLT) detection for Kawasaki disease (KD) identification. Methods: Forty-four children who were newly diagnosed with KD were selected as the KD group. They were divided into acute phase of KD and subacute phase of KD. They were also separated into groups with and without coronary artery disease (CAD) (CAD+ and CAD-, respectively). Meanwhile, 44 children hospitalized with febrile disease and 44 healthy children were selected as a febrile control group and normal control group, whom were attended to at Children's Hospital of Soochow University at the same time. We detected the concentration of IFN-ß and PLT of peripheral blood serum for all three groups and analyzed the difference. Results: At acute and subacute phases of KD, both IFN-ß and PLT are higher than both the febrile control group and healthy control group, especially at subacute phase; the difference between groups was statistically significant, P < 0.05. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve showed that the areas under the ROC curve (AUCs) of IFN-ß and PLT at acute phase of KD were 0.81 and 0.72, respectively; the sensitivity and specificity were 97.22 and 63.64%, and 57.89 and 73.86%, respectively. The AUCs of combined IFN-ß and PLT were 0.81 at acute phase and 0.96 at subacute phase of KD, with sensitivity and specificity of 97.22 and 55.26%, and 86.36 and 100%, respectively. The cutoff value of combined IFN-ß and PLT detection was IFN-ß = 3.51 pg/ml and PLT = 303 × 109/L at acute phase of KD, IFN-ß = 4.21 pg/ml and PLT = 368 × 109/L at subacute phase from plot vs. criterion values. However, there are no significant differences between the CAD- group and the CAD+ group for combined IFN-ß and PLT, both P > 0.5, neither at acute nor at subacute phase of KD. Conclusion: Combined IFN-ß and PLT detection is an efficient biomarker for KD identification. The cutoff values are IFN-ß = 3.51 pg/ml and PLT = 303 × 109/L at acute phase of KD and IFN-ß = 4.21 pg/ml and PLT = 368 × 109/L at subacute phase.

Aristolochic acids exposure was not the main cause of liver tumorigenesis in adulthood

Aristolochic acids (AAs) have long been considered as a potent carcinogen due to its nephrotoxicity. Aristolochic acid I (AAI) reacts with DNA to form covalent aristolactam (AL)-DNA adducts, leading to subsequent A to T transversion mutation, commonly referred as AA mutational signature. Previous research inferred that AAs were widely implicated in liver cancer throughout Asia. In this study, we explored whether AAs exposure was the main cause of liver cancer in the context of HBV infection in mainland China. Totally 1256 liver cancer samples were randomly retrieved from 3 medical centers and a refined bioanalytical method was used to detect AAI-DNA adducts. 5.10% of these samples could be identified as AAI positive exposure. Whole genome sequencing suggested 8.41% of 107 liver cancer patients exhibited the dominant AA mutational signature, indicating a relatively low overall AAI exposure rate. In animal models, long-term administration of AAI barely increased liver tumorigenesis in adult mice, opposite from its tumor-inducing role when subjected to infant mice. Furthermore, AAI induced dose-dependent accumulation of AA-DNA adduct in target organs in adult mice, with the most detected in kidney instead of liver. Taken together, our data indicate that AA exposure was not the major threat of liver cancer in adulthood.

Evaluation of the health services management training course of Jiangsu, China.

Health service management education programs emerged in the early 1980s in China as a result of changing demands on health service managers created by new directions in health policy. This paper reports on an evaluation of the Jiangsu-Victoria Health Management Training Program and discusses five of the main findings. Participants in the study believed that the Program has impacted positively on the health management practice of Jiangsu Province, and has made a significant contribution to health services management education in China. However, certain areas in teaching practice need to be improved and participants in the study provided suggestions to achieve this. The study also found that there were limitations to the impact of managerial education due to administrative and environmental factors.

Mechanisms of vitamin D in regulation of calcium binding protein / 国际儿科学杂志

Calbindin 9K(CaBP-9k) and Calbindin 28K(CaBP-28k),vitamin D dependent calcium binding protein (CaBP),play an important role in the the process of active transport of calcium.Research has shown that vitamin D can increase the expression of calcium binding protein,which can promote the absorption of calcium ions.Vitamin D deficiency and calcium binding protein could cause disorders of calcium homeostasis,such as hypocalcemia,rickets,osteoporosis and many other diseases.This review summarizes the studies of structure and distribution of CaBP and the mechanism of vitamin D in regulation of CaBP,which might provide new strategies for the prevention and treatment of paraplasia ossium.