Incidence of congenital heart diseases in Chinese children with non-syndromic congenital blepharoptosis: a prospective observational study of 1053 patients.

Background: Congenital blepharoptosis (CBP) may be part of a large spectrum of birth defects presenting with other ocular or systemic conditions. Therefore, the aim of the study was to investigate the incidence of congenital heart diseases (CHD) in CBP children not associated with specific syndromes.

Methods: A total of 1053 Chinese children diagnosed with non-syndromic CBP were consecutively enrolled and their cardiac structure was evaluated by echocardiography.

[The relationship between cleft severity and incidence of associated heart defect in children with isolated cleft palate].

Objective: To analyze the relationship between cleft severity and incidence of associated heart defect in children with isolated cleft palate (CP), as well as the characteristics of the heart defect.

Methods: From Aug 2008 and Dec 2009, a total 416 children with CP underwent echocardiogram, and were divided into complete and incomplete CP groups. Then each group was further classified as unilateral or bilateral groups.

Novel 1-alkyl-tryptophan derivatives downregulate IDO1 and IDO2 mRNA expression induced by interferon-gamma in dendritic cells.

Indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase (IDO) is an enzyme that suppresses adaptive T-cell immunity by catabolizing tryptophan from the cellular microenvironment. Inhibition of IDO pathway might enhance the efficacy of immunotherapeutic strategies for cancer. We synthesized 1-alkyl-tryptophan targeted IDO inhibitors and compared their effects on IDO expression and activity in dendritic cells (DCs) with the common IDO inhibitor 1-methyl-DL-tryptophan (1-MT).