An ultra-sensitive, multiplexed, and cost-effective POCT system for the detection of co-infecting respiratory viruses, including SARS-CoV-2, Flu A, Flu B, and RSV, within 30 min.

The co-circulation of respiratory viruses, including SARS-CoV-2, Influenza A (Flu A), Influenza B (Flu B), and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), poses a significant public health threat. Timely recognition of these viruses allows healthcare professionals to implement effective infection control measures, allocate medical resources properly, and prevent complications from incorrect treatments. Multiplex nucleic acid testing Point-of-care test (mNAT-POCT) circumvents issues of traditional tests, such as high demands on laboratory environments, personnel, and equipment, and limited target analyses, allowing its use in point-of-care settings.

Clinical application of Myxovirus resistance protein A as a diagnostic biomarker to differentiate viral and bacterial respiratory infections in pediatric patients.

Background: Differentiating between viral and bacterial respiratory tract infections in pediatric patients remains a significant diagnostic challenge, often leading to the overuse of antibiotics. Myxovirus resistance protein A (MxA) has been identified as a promising biomarker for viral infections. This study aimed to assess the fluctuations in blood MxA levels among children with viral respiratory infections and to explore the differences in MxA levels between viral and bacterial infections, focusing on clinical implications for antibiotic use.

Association of iron homeostasis-related gene polymorphisms with pregnancy and neonatal outcomes in patients with gestational diabetes mellitus.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to assess associations between iron homeostasis-related gene polymorphisms and gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM), adverse pregnancy outcomes, and neonatal outcomes.

Methods: In total, 138 patients with GDM and 74 normal pregnancy controls were recruited. Time-of-flight mass spectrometry was used to genotype single-nucleotide polymorphisms (H63D rs1799945, TMPRSS6 rs855791, GDF15 rs1059369, rs4808793, BMP2 rs173107, C282Y rs3811647, rs1800562, rs269853, TF rs8177240, TFR2 rs7385804, FADS2 rs174577, and CUBN rs10904850) in 12 candidate genes related to iron homeostasis.

Performance evaluation of Eu3-based CRP/SAA and PCT/IL-6 lateral flow immunoassay kits and their diagnostic value in respiratory tract infections.

Objectives: Respiratory infections are among the most common infectious diseases, resulting in significant morbidity and mortality. C-reactive protein (CRP), serum amyloid A (SAA), procalcitonin (PCT), and interleukin-6 (IL-6) are advantageous for diagnosing respiratory tract infections. This study assessed the analytical performance and accuracy of new kits for Eu3-based CRP/SAA and PCT/IL-6 lateral flow immunoassay and its diagnostic value in respiratory tract infections.

Performance verification and clinical evaluation of the NAP-Fluo Cycler system for detecting five genital tract pathogens based on microfluidic technology.

Introduction: Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) are among the most common infectious diseases worldwide, often leading to coinfections. Timely detection of genital tract pathogens in at-risk populations is crucial for preventing STIs. We evaluated the NAP-Fluo Cycler System, an innovative microfluidic nucleic acid detection platform, for its ability to simultaneously identify (CT), (NG), (UU), (MG), and (MH) in urethral or cervical secretions.

The correlation between blood lipids and intrahepatic cholestasis syndrome during pregnancy.

Background: To analyse changes in lipid levels during the development of intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy (ICP) and identify new biomarkers for predicting ICP.

Methods: A retrospective case-control study was conducted to analyse 473 pregnant women who underwent regular prenatal examinations and delivered at the Women and Children's Hospital, School of Medicine, Xiamen University, between June 2020 and June 2023, including 269 normal pregnancy controls and 204 pregnant women with cholestasis.

Results: Patients with ICP with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) have lower high-density lipoprotein (HDL) levels than in those without GDM.

Management of refined and personalized newborn blood specimen collection.

Background: Iatrogenic blood loss is an important cause of neonatal anemia. In this study, a spreadsheet tool was developed to reduce blood collection, providing a new idea for the prevention of iatrogenic blood loss in newborns.

Methods: Based on hematocrit, minimum test volume and dead volume, a new tool was to calculate the minimum blood collection volume and the number of containers required for the test portfolio.

Functional testing is a complementary tool for the diagnosis of vaginitis.

Objective: Vaginal microbiota evaluation is a methodology widely used in China to diagnose various vaginal inflammatory diseases. Although vaginal microbiota evaluation has many advantages, it is time-consuming and requires highly skilled and experienced operators. Here, we investigated a six-index functional test that analyzed pH, hydrogen peroxide (HO), leukocyte esterase (LEU), sialidase (SNA), β-glucuronidase (GUS), and acetylglucossidase (NAG), and determined its diagnostic value by comparing it with morphological tests of vaginal microbiota.

Validation of a new kit for preeclampsia screening: A comprehensive analysis.

Objectives: Preeclampsia is a common pregnancy complication that significantly contributes to maternal mortality, perinatal mortality, and preterm delivery. The sFlt-1/PlGF (fms-like tyrosine kinase-1/placental growth factor) ratio has demonstrated robust diagnostic value for preeclampsia. This study assessed the analytical performance and diagnostic accuracy of a novel quantitative determination kit for sFlt-1 and PlGF for the diagnosis of preeclampsia.

Trends in Respiratory Infectious Pathogens in Children Under the Age of 14 - Xiamen City, Fujian Province, China, 2017-2023.

What Is Already Known About This Topic?: Respiratory infections pose a significant burden on public health. Despite recent outbreaks occurring in various locations, there is limited information available on the prevalence trends of multiple common respiratory pathogens in China beyond 2022.

What Is Added By This Report?: A retrospective analysis was conducted on respiratory pathogen infections in a Xiamen hospital over a seven-year period.

Therapeutic vaccine-induced plasma cell differentiation is defective in the presence of persistently high HBsAg levels.

Background & Aims: Mechanisms behind the impaired response of antigen-specific B cells to therapeutic vaccination in chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection remain unclear. The development of vaccines or strategies to overcome this obstacle is vital for advancing the management of chronic hepatitis B.

Methods: A mouse model, denominated as E6F6-B, was engineered to feature a knock-in of a B-cell receptor (BCR) that specifically recognizes HBsAg.

The Relationship and Clinical Significance of Hepc-20, LpPLA2, PTX3, and Acute Myocardial Infarction in Patients with Varying Degrees of Coronary Artery Disease.

Objective: This study aimed to investigate the association between hepcidin-20 (Hepc-20), lipoprotein-associated phospholipase A2 (LpPLA2), pentraxin 3 (PTX3), acute myocardial infarction (AMI) occurrence, the severity of coronary artery lesions, and their predictive effectiveness.

Methods: A total of 100 patients diagnosed and treated for AMI at our hospital between January 2021 and January 2022 were included in the AMI group. Based on the severity of coronary artery lesions determined by the Gensini score, patients were divided into the mild group and the moderate-to-severe group.

The risk factors for Group B Streptococcus colonization during pregnancy and influences of intrapartum antibiotic prophylaxis on maternal and neonatal outcomes.

Background: Group B Streptococcus (GBS), also referred as Streptococcus agalactiae, is one of the leading causes of life-threatening invasive diseases such as bacteremia, meningitis, pneumonia and urinary tract infection in pregnant women and neonates. Rates of GBS colonization vary by regions, but large-sample studies on maternal GBS status are limited in southern China. As a result, the prevalence of GBS among pregnant women and its associated risk factors and the efficacy of intrapartum antibiotic prophylaxis (IAP) intervention in preventing adverse pregnancy and neonatal outcomes remain poorly understood in southern China.

Effectiveness of SARS-CoV-2-inactivated vaccine and the correlation to neutralizing antibodies: A test-negative case-control study.

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 breakthrough infection in highly vaccinated populations raises study on the effectiveness for inactivated vaccine, including effectiveness of the vaccine dose, the continuance of effectiveness, the effectiveness against severe/critical coronavirus disease 2019 and against secondary attacks. A population of 10 870 close contacts were investigated in a Delta variant's epidemic. The effectiveness of vaccination was estimated in a test-negative case-control study.

Evaluation of strategies for identification of infants with pathogenic glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase variants in China.

Glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) deficiency, which is caused by pathogenic variants of that result in decreased G6PD activity, is an X-linked inherited inborn error of metabolism that occurs worldwide. Individuals with G6PD deficiency and heterozygous females with normal G6PD activity (i.e.

Molecular Evolution of Attachment Glycoprotein (G) and Fusion Protein (F) Genes of Respiratory Syncytial Virus ON1 and BA9 Strains in Xiamen, China.

Monitoring viral transmission and analyzing the genetic diversity of a virus are imperative to better understand its evolutionary history and the mechanism driving its evolution and spread. Especially, effective monitoring of key antigenic mutations and immune escape variants caused by these mutations has great scientific importance. Thus, to further understand the molecular evolutionary dynamics of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) circulating in China, we analyzed nasopharyngeal swab specimens derived from hospitalized children ≤5 years old with acute respiratory tract infections (ARIs) in Xiamen during 2016 to 2019.

Association of 677C > T gene polymorphism with neonatal defects: a meta-analysis of 81444 subjects.

This meta-analysis was performed to clarify controversial associations of the 677C > T gene polymorphism in maternal and foetal tissue with neonatal defects. It was reported the association of 677 C > T gene polymorphism with frequencies of neonatal defects including congenital heart disease (CHD), neural tube defects (NTD), non-syndromic cleft lip and palate (NSCL/P), and Down syndrome (DS). Depending on the neonatal defect subtypes, 677 C > T gene polymorphism was associated with NTD, CHD (except for codominant mode of inheritance (TC/CC) and dominant mode of inheritance (TT + TC/CC);  = .

IGFBP1 inhibits the invasion, migration, and apoptosis of HTR-8/SVneo trophoblast cells in preeclampsia.

Objective: To investigate the effects and underlying mechanisms of IGFBP1 on the biological functions of trophoblasts in simulated preeclampsia.

Methods: IGFBP1 expression in placenta was determined by immunohistochemistry. HTR-8/SVneo cells were stimulated with/without IGFBP1-overexpression and hypoxia-reoxygenation, and the proliferation, invasion, migration, and apoptosis were detected by CCK8, transwell, and flow cytometry, respectively.

A Novel Mutation in Associated With Hypotonia, Ataxia, and Delayed Development Syndrome in a Chinese Boy.

Objective: Global developmental delay has markedly high phenotypic and genetic heterogeneity, and is a great challenge for clinical diagnosis. Hypotonia, ataxia, and delayed development syndrome (HADDS), first reported in 2017, is one type of global development delay. The aim of the present study was to investigate the genetic etiology of a Chinese boy with global developmental delay.

Meta-analysis: association of homocysteine with recurrent spontaneous abortion.

We analyzed the differences in serum homocysteine levels between patients with a history of recurrent spontaneous abortion (RSA) and those who had not experienced pregnancy-related complications. To this end, we retrieved literature and data on the association of RSA and serum homocysteine levels published before September 1st 2019 from the PubMed, EMBASE, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, and Wanfang databases. We further narrowed our literature review by focusing on peer-reviewed and full-text literature reporting on studies that used similar research methods and provided raw data or means and standard deviations while reporting results.

Methylation of CYP1A1 and VKORC1 promoter associated with stable dosage of warfarin in Chinese patients.

Objective: To investigate the association between DNA methylation and the stable warfarin dose through genome-wide DNA methylation analysis and pyrosequencing assay.

Method: This study included 161 patients and genome-wide DNA methylation analysis was used to screen potential warfarin dose-associated CpGs through Illumina Infinium HumanMethylation 450 K BeadChip; then, the pyrosequencing assay was used to further validate the association between the stable warfarin dose and alterations in the methylation of the screened CpGs. GenomeStudio Software and R were used to analyze the differentially methylated CpGs.

The role of DNA methylation in syndromic and non-syndromic congenital heart disease.

Congenital heart disease (CHD) is a common structural birth defect worldwide, and defects typically occur in the walls and valves of the heart or enlarged blood vessels. Chromosomal abnormalities and genetic mutations only account for a small portion of the pathogenic mechanisms of CHD, and the etiology of most cases remains unknown. The role of epigenetics in various diseases, including CHD, has attracted increased attention.