A novel mutation in the WNK1/HSN2 gene causing hereditary sensory and autonomic neuropathy type 2 in Chinese patient.

Hereditary sensory and autonomic neuropathy type 2 (HSAN2) is a group of extremely rare autosomal recessive neurological disorders characterized by predominant sensory dysfunction and attendant severe complications, such as limb destruction. Our study reports a Chinese patient who met the diagnostic criteria for HSAN2 and harbored a homozygous mutation in the WNK1 gene (NM_213655.4: c.

Health insurance's contribution to reducing the financial burden of tuberculosis in Guizhou Province, China.

Despite global efforts to end tuberculosis (TB), the goal of preventing catastrophic health expenditure (CHE) due to TB remains unmet. This cross-sectional study was conducted in Guizhou Province, Southwest China. Data were collected from the Hospital Information System and a survey of TB patients who had completed standardized antituberculosis treatment between January and March 2021.

Epidemiological characteristics, diagnosis and treatment effect of rifampicin-resistant pulmonary tuberculosis (RR-PTB) in Guizhou Province.

Background: Rifampicin-resistant pulmonary tuberculosis (RR-PTB) presents a significant threat to global public health security. China bears a substantial burden of RR-PTB cases globally, with Guizhou Province experiencing particularly alarming trends, marked by a continual increase in patient numbers. Understanding the population characteristics and treatment modalities for RR-PTB is crucial for mitigating morbidity and mortality associated with this disease.

Pathway-dependent Shape Transformation of Polymeric Vesicles under UV Light and the Assembly of UV-irradiated Polymer.

Shape transformation of polymer particles is generally a nonequilibrium dynamics process. Controlling the shape transformation of polymers is increasingly attractive and challenging for scientists due to their extensive use in drug delivery and cancer therapy. Herein, we investigated the UV-triggered shape transformation pathway of polymeric vesicles assembled from Polystyrene--poly(4-vinylpyridine) and 4-hydroxyazobenzene (PS--P4VP(Azo-OH)) and the direct assembly pathway of UV-irradiated PS--P4VP(Azo-OH) homogeneous solution.

Well-Ordered Nanoparticles/Block Copolymer Nanosheets with a Controllable Location of Nanoparticles.

Precisely controlling the spatial distributions and arrangements of metal nanoparticles (NPs) into block copolymers is of great importance for fabricating novel nanomaterials with the desired optical and electronic properties. Herein, we develop a simple yet versatile strategy to prepare organic/inorganic nanosheets formed by the coassembly of polystyrene--poly(4-vinylpyridine) (PS--P4VP) and PS tethered gold nanoparticles (AuNPs@PS) within emulsion droplets. The arrangement of the AuNPs@PS building blocks within the block copolymers (BCP)/AuNPs nanosheets can be adjusted by tuning the effective size ratio (λ), which can be controlled by the core diameter of the AuNPs and the molecular weight of the PS.

Early identification of Parkinson's disease with anxiety based on combined clinical and MRI features.

Objective: To identify cortical and subcortical volume, thickness and cortical area features and the networks they constituted related to anxiety in Parkinson's disease (PD) using structural magnetic resonance imaging (sMRI), and to integrate multimodal features based on machine learning to identify PD-related anxiety.

Methods: A total of 219 patients with PD were retrospectively enrolled in the study. 291 sMRI features including cortical volume, subcortical volume, cortical thickness, and cortical area, as well as 17 clinical features, were extracted.

Characteristics of tandem repeat inheritance and sympathetic nerve involvement in GAA-FGF14 ataxia.

Background: Intronic GAA repeat expansion ([GAA] ≥250) in FGF14 is associated with the late-onset neurodegenerative disorder, spinocerebellar ataxia 27B (SCA27B, GAA-FGF14 ataxia). We aim to determine the prevalence of the GAA repeat expansion in FGF14 in Chinese populations presenting late-onset cerebellar ataxia (LOCA) and evaluate the characteristics of tandem repeat inheritance, radiological features and sympathetic nerve involvement.

Methods: GAA-FGF14 repeat expansion was screened in an undiagnosed LOCA cohort (n = 664) and variations in repeat-length were analyzed in families of confirmed GAA-FGF14 ataxia patients.

Clinical Characteristics, Management and Prognostic Factors of Immune Checkpoint Inhibitor-Associated Pneumonia in Chinese Cancer Patients.

Objective: To investigate the clinical characteristics, treatment methods, outcomes, and variables influencing the outcomes of checkpoint inhibitor-related pneumonitis (CIP) among Chinese cancer patients.

Study Design: Descriptive Study. Place and Duration of the Study: Department of Pharmacy, Hunan Cancer Hospital, The Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Xiangya School of Medicine, Central South University, Changsha, China, from January 2019 to December 2022.

Molecular epidemiological characteristics of in highly endemic areas of China during the COVID-19 epidemic.

Objectives: The present study analyzed the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the prevalence and incidence of new leprosy cases, as well as the diversity, distribution, and temporal transmission of strains at the county level in leprae-endemic provinces in Southwest China.

Methods: A total of 219 new leprosy cases during two periods, 2018-2019 and 2020-2021, were compared. We genetically characterized 83 clinical isolates of in Guizhou using variable number tandem repeats (VNTRs) and single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs).

Assessment of vitamin D deficiency in recurrent BPPV patients: A cross-sectional study.

Purpose: This study aimed to investigate the vitamin D deficiency of patients with BPPV recurrence and to evaluate the differences of 25-hydroxy vitamin D (25(OH)D) and serum calcium levels among gender and age categories.

Methods: This cross-sectional study enrolled patients with BPPV. The diagnosis of BPPV was based on positional nystagmus and vertigo induced by certain head positions (The Dix-Hallpike maneuver and head roll tests).

Early prediction of drug-resistant epilepsy using clinical and EEG features based on convolutional neural network.

Objective: Machine learning utilization in electroencephalogram (EEG) analysis and epilepsy care is fast evolving. Thus, we aim to develop and validate two one-dimensional convolutional neural network (CNN) algorithms for predicting drug-resistant epilepsy (DRE) in patients with newly-diagnosed epilepsy based on EEG and clinical features.

Methods: We included a total of 1010 EEG signal epochs and 15 clinical features from 101 patients with epilepsy.

Intranasal administration of recombinant prosaposin attenuates neuronal apoptosis through GPR37/PI3K/Akt/ASK1 pathway in MCAO rats.

Studies have reported that Prosaposin (PSAP) is neuroprotective in cerebrovascular diseases. We hypothesized that PSAP would reduce infarct volume by attenuating neuronal apoptosis and promoting cell survival through G protein-coupled receptor 37(GPR37)/PI3K/Akt/ASK1 pathway in middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) rats. Two hundred and thirty-five male and eighteen female Sprague-Dawley rats were used.

Decoding the Pathway-Dependent Self-Assembly of Polymer-Grafted Nanoparticles by Ligand Crystallization.

Functional metamaterials can be constructed by assembling nanoparticles (NPs) into well-ordered structures, which show fascinating properties at different length scales. Using polymer-grafted NPs (PGNPs) as a building block, flexible composite metamaterials can be obtained, of which the structure is significantly affected by the property of polymer ligands. Here, it is demonstrated that the crystallization of polymer ligands determines the assembly behavior of NPs and reveal a pathway-dependent self-assembly of PGNPs into different metastructures in solution.

Highly sensitive and rapid determination of Mycobacterium leprae based on real-time multiple cross displacement amplification.

Background: Mycobacterium leprae (ML) is the pathogen that causes leprosy, which has a long history and still exists today. ML is an intracellular mycobacterium that dominantly induces leprosy by causing permanent damage to the skin, nerves, limbs and eyes as well as deformities and disabilities. Moreover, ML grows slowly and is nonculturable in vitro.

Entropy-driven formation of binary superlattices assembled from polymer-tethered nanorods and nanospheres.

Integrating binary mixtures of nanoparticles (NPs) into well-defined superstructures gives rise to novel collective properties depending on the shapes and individual properties of both species. In this paper, we studied the entropy-driven formation of binary superlattices assembled from polymer-tethered nanorods and nanospheres. The results indicated that the conformational entropy of the polymer chains and the mixing entropy of the nanorods and nanospheres are two parameters that determine the formation of binary superlattices.

Biosensor-Based Multiple Cross Displacement Amplification for the Rapid Detection of .

Leprosy is an ancient disease caused by (ML) that remains a public health problem in poverty-stricken areas worldwide. Although many ML detection techniques have been used, a rapid and sensitive tool is essential for the early detection and treatment of leprosy. Herein, we developed a rapid ML detection technique by combining multiple cross displacement amplification (MCDA) with a nanoparticle-based lateral flow biosensor (LFB), termed ML-MCDA-LFB.

RNF20/RNF40 ameliorates streptozotocin-induced type 1 diabetes by activating vitamin D receptors .

Background: Type 1 diabetes is one of the chronic autoimmune diseases. Its features include the immune-triggered pancreatic beta-cells destruction. Ubiquitin ligases RNF20 and RNF40 have been discovered to participate into beta cells gene expression, insulin secretion, and expression of vitamin D receptors (VDRs).

Impact of COVID-19 prevention and control on tuberculosis and scarlet fever in China's Guizhou.

China has implemented a series of long-term measures to control the spread of COVID-19, however, the effects of these measures on other chronic and acute respiratory infectious diseases remain unclear. Tuberculosis (TB) and scarlet fever (SF) serve as representatives of chronic and acute respiratory infectious diseases, respectively. In China's Guizhou province, an area with a high prevalence of TB and SF, approximately 40,000 TB cases and hundreds of SF cases are reported annually.

Epidemiological characteristics of pulmonary tuberculosis among students in Guizhou, China: a retrospective study from 2010 to 2020.

Objective: We described epidemiological characteristics of pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) among students and evaluated susceptible populations and areas in Guizhou province and also to provide scientific suggestions for prevention and control.

Setting: Guizhou, China.

Design: This is a retrospective epidemiological study on PTB in students.

Single-Dose Rifapentine in Household Contacts of Patients with Leprosy.

Background: Previous studies have suggested that a single dose of rifampin has protective effects against leprosy in close contacts of patients with the disease. Rifapentine was shown to have greater bactericidal activity against than rifampin in murine models of leprosy, but data regarding its effectiveness in preventing leprosy are lacking.

Methods: We conducted a cluster-randomized, controlled trial to investigate whether single-dose rifapentine is effective in preventing leprosy in household contacts of patients with leprosy.

Entropically Driven Fabrication of Binary Superlattices Assembled from Polymer-Tethered Nanocubes and Nanospheres.

The spontaneous organization of two types of nanoparticles (NPs) with different shapes or properties into binary nanoparticle superlattices (BNSLs) with different configurations has recently attracted significant attention due to the coupling or synergistic effect of the two types of NPs, providing an efficient and general route for designing new functional materials and devices. Here, this work reports the co-assembly of polystyrene (PS) tethered anisotropic gold nanocubes (AuNCs@PS) and isotropic gold NPs (AuNPs@PS) via an emulsion-interface self-assembly strategy. The distributions and arrangements of the AuNCs and spherical AuNPs in the BNSLs can be precisely controlled by adjusting the effective size ratio (λ ) of the effective diameter (d ) of the embedded spherical AuNPs to the polymer gap size (L) between the neighboring AuNCs.

Degradation of refractory organic matter in MBR effluent from treating landfill leachate by UV/PMS and UV/HO: a comparative study.

This study applied ultraviolet/peroxymonosulfate (UV/PMS) and UV/hydrogen peroxide (UV/HO) processes to the advanced treatment of membrane bioreactor (MBR) effluent. The degradation efficiency of refractory organic matter and the reaction mechanisms of the two processes were systematically investigated. The results showed that the degradation efficiency of the UV/PMS processes was significantly lower than that of the UV/HO process when the PMS concentration was significantly lower than the HO concentration, e.