Risk factors for pneumonia among children with coinfection of influenza A virus and Mycoplasma pneumoniae.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the clinical characteristics and risk factors for pneumonia in children co-infected with influenza A virus (IAV) and Mycoplasma pneumoniae (MP). METHODS: Children who were diagnosed with IAV and MP infection between January and December, 2023 were enrolled and divided into a non-pneumonia group and a pneumonia group. Univariate analysis and logistic regression analysis were used to evaluate each index, and the risk factors for pneumonia caused by coinfection in the two groups were explored. RESULTS: A total of 209 patients were enrolled, of which 107 and 102 patients were in the pneumonia and non-pneumonia groups, respectively. The patients in the pneumonia group were older and had a longer duration of fever (P < 0.05). Univariate analysis revealed that the median age, duration of fever, and CD3+, CD4+, CD8+ and IL-10 levels were significantly correlated with pneumonia (P < 0.05). Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that the median age, duration of fever, and CD4+, CD8+ and IL-10 levels were independent risk factors for pneumonia. Area under the curve of the five combined indicators in the ROC (receiver operator characteristic) analysis was 0.883, was higher than single factor. CONCLUSION: Children with IAV and MP infection whose age older than 6.08 years, had a fever longer than 4 days, had a CD4+ count < 22.12%, had a CD8+ count < 35.21%, had an IL-10 concentration > 22.08 ng/ml were more likely to develop pneumonia.

Influenza a H1N1 infection complicated with encephalopathy and acute pancreatitis: a case report.

This paper reports a case of influenza complicated with influenza associated encephalopathy complicated with acute pancreatitis. This kind of disease is relatively rare, we hope to draw people's attention to it in order to improve early detection and prognosis.

ß-Sitosterol Suppresses Lipopolysaccharide-Induced Inflammation and Lipogenesis Disorder in Bovine Mammary Epithelial Cells.

ß-sitosterol, a natural plant steroid, has been shown to promote anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activities in the body. In this study, ß-sitosterol was used to protect against lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced cell damage in bovine mammary epithelial cells, which are commonly studied as a cell model of mammary inflammatory response and lipogenesis. Results showed that treatment with a combination of LPS and ß-sitosterol significantly reduced oxidative stress and inflammation, while increasing the expression of anti-apoptotic proteins and activating the hypoxia-inducible factor-1(HIF-1α)/mammalian target of rapamycin(mTOR) signaling pathway to inhibit apoptosis and improve lipid synthesis-related gene expression. Our finding suggests that ß-sitosterol has the potential to alleviate inflammation in the mammary gland.

Novel 2-Amino-1,4-Naphthoquinone Derivatives Induce A549 Cell Death through Autophagy.

A series of 1,4-naphthoquinone derivatives containing were synthesized as anti-cancer agents and the crystal structure of compound 5a was confirmed by X-ray diffraction. In addition, the inhibitory activities against four cancer cell lines (HepG2, A549, K562, and PC-3) were tested, respectively, and compound 5i showed significant cytotoxicity on the A549 cell line with the IC50 of 6.15 µM. Surprisingly, in the following preliminary biological experiments, we found that compound 5i induced autophagy by promoting the recycling of EGFR and signal transduction in the A549 cell, resulting in the activation of the EGFR signal pathway. The potential binding pattern between compound 5i and EGFR tyrosine kinase (PDB ID: 1M17) was also identified by molecular docking. Our research paves the way for further studies and the development of novel and powerful anti-cancer drugs.

Meta-analysis of the association between four CAPN10 gene variants and gestational diabetes mellitus.

PURPOSE: The purpose of the meta-analysis is to evaluate the association between calpain-10 (CANP10) gene polymorphisms and gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). METHODS: A computer-based retrieval was performed in Web of Science, Embase and PubMed databases for eligible studies. The genotype data from four variants in CANP10 [single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) 19, 43, 44, and 63] were collected. The pooled Odds ratios (ORs) with 95 % confidence intervals (CI) were conducted for five genetic models. RESULTS: Five studies containing 1003 GDMs and 1788 controls are included in this meta-analysis. The overall combined odds ratios show that SNP 19 and SNP 43 are not associated with increased risk of GDM in all genetic models. The association between SNP 63 and GDM is only significant in the heterozygous model (OR 2.79, 95 % CI 1.15-6.74). The SNP 44 is associated with increased risk of GDM in the recessive model (OR 1.75, 95 % CI 1.07-2.85), but only two studies are included. CONCLUSIONS: This meta-analysis indicates that women carriage of TT genotype in SNP 63 (rs5030952) is associated with increased risk in GDM.

Mendelian randomization shows causal effects of birth weight and childhood body mass index on the risk of frailty.

Background: The association between birth weight and childhood body mass index (BMI) and frailty has been extensively studied, but it is currently unclear whether this relationship is causal. Methods: We utilized a two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) methodology to investigate the causal effects of birth weight and childhood BMI on the risk of frailty. Instrumental variables (p < 5E-08) strongly associated with own birth weight (N = 298,142 infants), offspring birth weight (N = 210,267 mothers), and childhood BMI (N = 39,620) were identified from large-scale genomic data from genome-wide association studies (GWAS). The frailty status was assessed using the frailty index, which was derived from comprehensive geriatric assessments of older adults within the UK Biobank and the TwinGene database (N = 175,226). Results: Genetically predicted one standard deviation (SD) increase in own birth weight, but not offspring birth weight (maternal-specific), was linked to a decreased frailty index (ß per SD increase = -0.068, 95%CI = -0.106 to -0.030, p = 3.92E-04). Conversely, genetically predicted one SD increase in childhood BMI was associated with an elevated frailty index (ß per SD increase = 0.080, 95%CI = 0.046 to 0.114, p = 3.43E-06) with good statistical power (99.8%). The findings remained consistent across sensitivity analyses and showed no horizontal pleiotropy (p > 0.05). Conclusion: This MR study provides evidence supporting a causal relationship between lower birth weight, higher childhood BMI, and an increased risk of frailty.

Lithium Chloride Promotes Endogenous Synthesis of CLA in Bovine Mammary Epithelial Cells.

Although conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) can promote human health, its content in milk is insufficient to have a significant impact. The majority of the CLA in milk is produced endogenously by the mammary gland. However, research on improving its content through nutrient-induced endogenous synthesis is relatively scarce. Previous research found that the key enzyme, stearoyl-CoA desaturase (SCD) for the synthesis of CLA, can be expressed more actively in bovine mammary epithelial cells (MAC-T) when lithium chloride (LiCl) is present. This study investigated whether LiCl can encourage CLA synthesis in MAC-T cells. The results showed that LiCl effectively increased SCD and proteasome α5 subunit (PSMA5) protein expression in MAC-T cells as well as the content of CLA and its endogenous synthesis index. LiCl enhanced the expression of proliferator-activated receptor-γ (PPARγ), sterol regulatory element-binding protein 1 (SREBP1), and its downstream enzymes acetyl CoA carboxylase (ACC), fatty acid synthase (FASN), lipoprotein lipase (LPL), and Perilipin 2 (PLIN2). The addition of LiCl significantly enhanced p-GSK-3ß, ß-catenin, p-ß-catenin protein expression, hypoxia-inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α), and downregulation factor genes for mRNA expression (P < 0.05). These findings highlight that LiCl can increase the expression of SCD and PSMA5 by activating the transcription of HIF-1α, Wnt/ß-catenin, and the SREBP1 signaling pathways to promote the conversion of trans-vaccenic acid (TVA) to the endogenous synthesis of CLA. This data suggests that the exogenous addition of nutrients can increase CLA content in milk through pertinent signaling pathways.

Three-degrees-of-freedom orientation manipulation of small untethered robots with a single anisotropic soft magnet.

Magnetic actuation has been well exploited for untethered manipulation and locomotion of small-scale robots in complex environments such as intracorporeal lumens. Most existing magnetic actuation systems employ a permanent magnet onboard the robot. However, only 2-DoF orientation of the permanent-magnet robot can be controlled since no torque can be generated about its axis of magnetic moment, which limits the dexterity of manipulation. Here, we propose a new magnetic actuation method using a single soft magnet with an anisotropic geometry (e.g., triaxial ellipsoids) for full 3-DoF orientation manipulation. The fundamental actuation principle of anisotropic magnetization and 3-DoF torque generation are analytically modeled and experimentally validated. The hierarchical orientation stability about three principal axes is investigated, based on which we propose and validate a multi-step open-loop control strategy to alternatingly manipulate the direction of the longest axis of the soft magnet and the rotation about it for dexterous 3-DoF orientation manipulation.

Mendelian randomization approach shows no causal effects of gestational age on epilepsy in offspring.

BACKGROUND: Observational studies have suggested that gestational age was associated with the risk of epilepsy later in life. However, it remains unclear whether the association is of a causal nature. METHODS: Two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) was performed to assess the causal effect of fetal gestational age on epilepsy. Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) summary statistics of gestational duration, early preterm birth, preterm birth, and postterm birth were from the Early Growth Genetics (EGG) Consortium. GWAS summary-level data on epilepsy were obtained from the International League Against Epilepsy Consortium (ILAEC) and FinnGen Consortium. The inverse-variance weighted (IVW) was applied as the primary method to calculate estimates, which were further validated using other sensitivity analyses. RESULTS: There was not yet strong evidence of causal associations between gestational age and epilepsy of ILAEC (early preterm birth: odds ratio [OR]=1.01, 95% CI: 0.99-1.03, P = 0.441; preterm birth: OR=1.01, 95% CI: 0.96-1.07, P = 0.617; postterm birth: OR=0.96, 95% CI: 0.89-1.04, P = 0.357; gestational duration: OR=0.90, 95% CI: 0.75-1.07, P = 0.214). Similar results were obtained in the replication stage using epileptic samples from the FinnGen Consortium. Finally, a meta-analysis of the causal estimates from the ILAEC and FinnGen Consortium showed consistent results. No obvious pleiotropy was found throughout the MR study. CONCLUSIONS: The present study indicated that gestational age, either preterm birth or postterm birth, might not be causally associated with the risk of epilepsy. Further studies are warranted to evaluate the potential mechanisms underlying the epidemiological relationship between preterm birth and epilepsy.

Necrotizing pneumonia and purulent meningitis caused by bloodstream infection of CA-MRSA in a child: A rare case report.

Case presentation: We report the case of a girl aged 2 years and 10 months who had fever for 2 days, vomiting, poor mental status for 1 day, and one episode of convulsions. Symptoms and signs: The patient experienced a rapid onset of symptoms with fever, vomiting, and convulsions. Upon physical examination on admission, she presented with the following: temperature 38.6°C; pulse 185 beats/min; respiration 49 beats/min; blood pressure 89/51 mmHg; drowsiness; piebald skin all over her body; rice-grain-sized pustular rashes scattered on the front chest and both lower limbs, protruding from the surface of the skin; bilateral pupils that were equal in size and a circle with a diameter of about 3.0 mm, and slow light reflex; cyanotic lips; shortness of breath; positive for the three-concave sign; a small amount of phlegm that could be heard in both lungs; capillary refill time of 5 s; cold extremities; and a positive Babinski sign. Diagnostic method: A chest computed tomography scan showed multiple nodular and flake-like high-density shadows of varying sizes in each lobe in bilateral lungs, and a cavity with blurred edges could be seen in some nodules. A cranial magnetic resonance imaging examination demonstrated that the hyperintensity of diffusion-weighted imaging could be observed on the left cerebellar hemisphere and left parietal blade. Blood cultures, sputum, cerebrospinal fluid, and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) by fiberoptic bronchoscopy all indicated the growth of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). Treatment methods: After admission, the child was given meropenem combined with vancomycin, cefoperazone sulbactam combined with rifamycin, linezolid (oral) for anti-infection successively, and other adjuvant therapies. Clinical outcomes: The patient recovered clinically and was discharged from our hospital. Recommended readers: Neurology; Respiratory Medicine; Infectious Diseases Department.

Maternal and fetal IL1RN polymorphisms and the risk of preterm delivery: a meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study is to assess the relationship between IL1RN*2 variants and preterm delivery (PTD) risk. METHODS: Eligible studies were searched in Embase and PubMed databases from inception to November 2013. Two investigators identified relevant studies and extracted data of maternal and fetal genotype independently. Based on the evidence of functional studies, we used the dominant model to all compared studies. RESULTS: To maternal genotype, 269 PTDs and 688 controls were included in meta-analysis. The overall combined odds ratio for the IL1RN*2 variant and PTD was 1.91 (95% CI, 1.41-2.58). To fetal genotype, five studies of 322 PTDs and 858 term controls were included. The result for fetal genotype analysis showed increased risk of PTD, but not significantly (OR 1.33, 95% CI 0.99-1.78). Subgroup analysis indicated that both maternal and fetal carriage of IL1RN*2 increased the risk of PTD only in studies including preterm premature rupture of membranes (PPROM), with a pooled OR 2.02 (95% CI 1.44-2.85) and 1.42 (1.02-1.99), respectively. CONCLUSIONS: This meta-analysis suggests that maternal carriage of IL1RN*2 were associated with increased risk in PTD. PPROM may be an important confounding factor that should be taken into consideration for study of IL1RN polymorphism and PTD.