Extracellular vesicle-functionalized bioactive scaffolds for bone regeneration.

The clinical need for effective bone regeneration in compromised conditions continues to drive demand for innovative solutions. Among emerging strategies, extracellular vesicles (EVs) have shown promise as an acellular approach for bone regeneration. However, their efficacy is hindered by rapid sequestration and clearance when administered via bolus injection.

Contrast-enhanced US versus US-guided biopsy for abdominal and pelvic neoplasm in paediatric patients: a propensity score matching study.

Objective: To compare the diagnostic performance of CEUS-guided biopsy (CEUS-GB) and ultrasound-guided biopsy (US-GB) in evaluating abdominal and pelvic (abdominopelvic) neoplasms in paediatric patients.

Methods: Patients aged < 18 years with abdominopelvic tumours who underwent either CEUS-GB or US-GB between April 2005 and May 2022 were retrospectively evaluated. Tumours diagnosed as malignancies by pathology were considered true-positive findings.

Optimizing breast cancer diagnosis with photoacoustic imaging: An analysis of intratumoral and peritumoral radiomics.

Background: The differentiation between benign and malignant breast tumors extends beyond morphological structures to encompass functional alterations within the nodules. The combination of photoacoustic (PA) imaging and radiomics unveils functional insights and intricate details that are imperceptible to the naked eye.

Purpose: This study aims to assess the efficacy of PA imaging in breast cancer radiomics, focusing on the impact of peritumoral region size on radiomic model accuracy.

Development of an online calculator for the prediction of seizure freedom following pediatric hemispherectomy using the Hemispherectomy Outcome Prediction Scale (HOPS).

Objectives: Although hemispheric surgeries are among the most effective procedures for drug-resistant epilepsy (DRE) in the pediatric population, there is a large variability in seizure outcomes at the group level. A recently developed HOPS score provides individualized estimation of likelihood of seizure freedom to complement clinical judgement. The objective of this study was to develop a freely accessible online calculator that accurately predicts the probability of seizure freedom for any patient at 1-, 2-, and 5-years post-hemispherectomy.

IFT-Net: Interactive Fusion Transformer Network for Quantitative Analysis of Pediatric Echocardiography.

The task of automatic segmentation and measurement of key anatomical structures in echocardiography is critical for subsequent extraction of clinical parameters. However, the influence of boundary blur, speckle noise, and other factors increase the difficulty of fully automatically segmenting 2D ultrasound images. The previous research has addressed this challenge using convolutional neural networks (CNN), which fails to consider global contextual information and long-range dependency.

Knockdown of G protein-coupled receptor-17 (GPR17) facilitates the regeneration and repair of myelin sheath post-periventricular leukomalacia (PVL).

The G protein-coupled receptor-17 (GPR17) plays an important role in regulating the differentiation of oligodendrocytes and remyelination, which is a key negative regulator of oligodendrocyte differentiation. The present study aimed to investigate the function of GPR17 in the white matter of periventricular leukomalacia (PVL) neonatal rats. The PVL model was established in 2-day old neonatal rats by intracerebral injection of LPS (1 mg/kg).

Carveol Attenuates Seizure Severity and Neuroinflammation in Pentylenetetrazole-Kindled Epileptic Rats by Regulating the Signaling Pathway.

Epilepsy is a neurodegenerative brain disorder characterized by recurrent seizure attacks. Numerous studies have suggested a strong correlation between oxidative stress and neuroinflammation in several neurodegenerative disorders including epilepsy. This study is aimed at investigating the neuroprotective effects of the natural compound carveol against pentylenetetrazole- (PTZ-) induced kindling and seizure model.

Dual attention enhancement feature fusion network for segmentation and quantitative analysis of paediatric echocardiography.

Paediatric echocardiography is a standard method for screening congenital heart disease (CHD). The segmentation of paediatric echocardiography is essential for subsequent extraction of clinical parameters and interventional planning. However, it remains a challenging task due to (1) the considerable variation of key anatomic structures, (2) the poor lateral resolution affecting accurate boundary definition, (3) the existence of speckle noise and artefacts in echocardiographic images.

Correlation between enzyme multiplied immunoassay technique and high-performance liquid chromatography in the quantification of voriconazole in a paediatric population.

The enzyme multiplied immunoassay technique (EMIT) is a new method for determining the plasma concentration of voriconazole (VRZ). This study aimed to investigate the correlation between EMIT and high-performance liquid chromatography/ultraviolet rays (HPLC/UV) in determining the plasma VRZ trough concentration in children, in China. A total of 419 blood samples were collected, and plasma VRZ concentrations were detected by the EMIT and HPLC methods.

Disrupted topological properties of functional networks in epileptic children with generalized tonic-clonic seizures.

Introduction: Generalized tonic-clonic seizure (GTCS) is a condition that is characterized by generalized spike-wave discharge in bilateral cerebral hemispheres during the seizure. Although previous neuroimaging studies revealed functional abnormalities in the brain activities of children with GTCS, the topological alterations in whole-brain networks remain poorly understood.

Methods: The present study used graph theory to investigate the topological organization of functional networks in 13 GTCS children and 30 age-matched healthy controls.

An Isothermal, Multiplex Amplification Assay for Detection and Genotyping of Human Papillomaviruses in Formalin-Fixed, Paraffin-Embedded Tissues.

Rapid and accurate identification of human papillomavirus (HPV) is important for both clinical management and population screening. Analytic validation of Atila AmpFire Multiplex HPV assays on formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded (FFPE) cervix/vulva and oropharynx diagnostic tissue samples was performed. The AmpFire assay incorporates a novel isothermal multiplex amplification coupled with real-time fluorescent detection to detect and genotype 15 high-risk (HR) HPV genotypes.

Profile of the Alere i Influenza A & B assay: a pioneering molecular point-of-care test.

The Alere i Influenza A & B assay incorporates the Nicking Enzyme Amplification Reaction technique on the Alere i instrument to detect and differentiate influenza virus (Flu) A and B nucleic acids in specific specimens. Areas covered: The Alere i Influenza A & B assay was cleared by the US Food and Drug Administration for use with nasal swabs (NS) and nasopharyngeal swabs, either directly or in viral transport medium. Notably, direct use on NS was the first ever CLIA-waived nucleic acid-based test.

Association between beat-to-beat blood pressure variability and vascular elasticity in normal young adults during the cold pressor test.

The beat-to-beat blood pressure (BP) monitoring parameters, such as average beat-to-beat BP, BP variability (BPV), could have an influence on the vascular elasticity. This study hypothesized that the elevated beat-to-beat BPV could evoke the reduction of the vascular elasticity independent of BP levels. We measured the beat-to-beat BP recordings and total arterial compliance (TAC), which was used to assess the vascular elasticity, in 80 young healthy adults during the cold pressor test (CPT).

Common genetic variants of GPC1 gene reduce risk of biliary atresia in a Chinese population.

Background: Biliary atresia (BA) is a major neonatal cholestatic disease and main indication for pediatric liver transplantation in the world. Recently, GPC1 has been implicated as a risk gene for BA by genetic studies and follow-up functional experiments on zebrafish.

Methods: Two common genetic variants of GPC1, rs2292832 and rs3828336, were selected systematically through 'SNPinfo', and were examined using TaqMan Genotyping Assays for association studies in a Chinese population containing 134 cases and 618 controls.

Altered regional homogeneity in epileptic patients with infantile spasm: A resting-state fMRI study.

Infantile spasm (IS) syndrome is an age-related epileptic encephalopathy that occurs in children. The purpose of this study was to investigate regional homogeneity (ReHo) changes in IS patients. Resting-state fMRI was performed on 11 patients with IS, along with 35 age- and sex-matched healthy subjects.

Longitudinal Changes in the Brain Following Third Ventriculostomy in a Child With Hydrocephalus: A Case Report.

The goal of this study was to detect the long-term effect of shunting on the integrity of white matter in young children with hydrocephalus.The authors reported the case of a 6-month-old boy with hydrocephalus who was evaluated by diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) before and after a shunt operation.When compared with normal children, the structures of the corpus callosum, internal capsule, and corona radiata in the patient showed a decrease in fractional anisotropy and an increase in radial diffusivity values before the shunt operation.

Children With Intracranial Arachnoid Cysts: Classification and Treatment.

We performed a dynamic study of arachnoid cysts (ACs) using magnetic resonance cisternography (MRC) and proposed a classification of ACs.Twenty-three suitable patients in our hospital entered into this study according to our inclusion criteria. MRC images were collected in all the subjects at 1 and 24 hours after the administration of intrathecal gadolinium-diethylenetriamine penta-acetic acid (Gd-DTPA).

Aberrantly decreased levels of NKG2D expression in children with kawasaki disease.

This study is designed to investigate the changes of NKG2D expression on CD8(+) T cells and CD3(-) CD56(+) NK cells in Kawasaki disease (KD). NKG2D/NKG2A expression on CD3(-) CD56(+) NK cells and CD8(+) T lymphocytes, and NKG2D ligands such as major histocompatibility complex I chain-related molecules A(MICA) and UL-16-binding proteins (ULBP-1) expression on CD14(+) mononuclear cells (MC) were analysed by flow cytometry in patients with KD. Real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was used to evaluate the mRNA levels of interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-6 and tumour necrosis factor (TNF)-α in CD14(+) cells.

Early experience with laparoscopic excision of choledochal cyst in 41 children.

Objective: This study aims to review our center's early experience in managing children with choledochal cysts using laparoscopic excision.

Methods: A retrospective study was carried out from the time of our first case of laparoscopic excision (2010). A total of 41 patients with choledochal cysts underwent laparoscopic choledochal cyst excision and Roux-en-Y hepaticojejunostomy.

Hospitalized children with 2009 influenza a (H1N1) infection in Shenzhen, China, November-December 2009.

Objectives: During the winter outbreak of 2009 influenza A (H1N1) infection in China, the number of confirmed cases and the fatal cases has grown rapidly. We describe the clinical characteristics of hospitalized children with 2009 influenza A (H1N1) infection in Shenzhen, China, November-December 2009.

Methods: Using a standardized form, we collected data on 148 hospitalized children.

The T helper type 17/regulatory T cell imbalance in patients with acute Kawasaki disease.

The study is designed to investigate the changes and roles of T helper type 17/regulatory T cells (Th17/T(reg) ) in the immunological pathogenesis of Kawasaki disease (KD). In addition, we explore the alteration and significance of Th17 cells in patients with intravenous immune globulin-resistant KD. Real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was used to evaluate the mRNA levels of interleukin (IL)-17A/F, retinoic acid-related orphan receptor (ROR)-γt and forkhead box P3 (FoxP3) in CD4-positive cells.

[Role of transduce molecules and modulatory factors of signal pathways of Toll-like receptor in inflammatory response of children with sepsis].

Objective: To investigate the role of transduce molecules and modulatory factors of signal pathways of Toll-like receptors (TLRs) in aberrant inflammatory response in children with sepsis.

Methods: Peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMC) and serum were obtained from 10 children with sepsis, 13 children with severe sepsis and 17 age-matched healthy children as controls. Real-time polymerase chain reaction (real-time PCR) were used to evaluate the mRNA expression levels of TLR2, TLR4, myeloid differentiation primary response gene 88(MyD88), interleukin-1 receptor-associated kinase 4 (IRAK-4), tumor necrosis factor receptor-associated factor 6 (TRAF6), TAK1-binding protein 2 (TAB2) transforming growth factor-beta-activating kinase 1 (TAK1), interleukin-1 receptor-associated kinase 3 (IRAK-M), zinc finger protein inhibiting nuclear factor-KappaB (Triad3A), protein associated with Tlr4 (PRAT4B) and signal-transducing adaptor protein-2 (STAP2), and the levels of mRNA expression and production of pro-inflammatory cytokines [tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), interleukin-1 beta (IL-1 beta) and IL-6] were measured by real-time PCR and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA).

[Construction of pcDNA3.1(+)/A2E eukaryotic expression vector and its expression on K562 cell].

To construct pcDNA3.1(+)/A2E eukaryotic expression vector and obtain a stable expression on HLA-I negative human K562 cell, PCR technique was employed to amplify A2E cDNA from the multi-cistron expression vector pG/A2E carrying HLA-E and HLA-A2 cDNA through internal ribozyme entry site (IRES), the cDNA was subcloned into vector pcDNA3.1(+), thus a eukaryotic expression was constructed and named pcDNA3.