Circulating calcium levels and the risk of type 2 diabetes: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Abnormal Ca homeostasis has been associated with impaired glucose metabolism. However, the epidemiological evidence is controversial. We aimed to assess the association between circulating Ca levels and the risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) or abnormal glucose homeostasis through conducting a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Noma in a boy with septic shock: a case report.

Background: Noma is a rare disease, which is characterized by rapid progression and a high rate of mortality; however, relatively few cases of noma infection accompanied by septic shock in children have been described. Further, most health care professionals have no knowledge of this disease or of its clinical significance.

Case Presentation: Herein, we present a case report of a six-year-old male patient who was diagnosed with noma infection at a Chinese pediatric medical intensive care unit (PMICU), at which time, it was discovered that he had septic shock.

Clinical and molecular characteristics of thirty NF1 variants in Chinese patients with neurofibromatosis type 1.

Neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) is a common autosomal dominant tumor-predisposition disorder that mainly impacts the nervous system and skin. Since the full clinical presentation of NF1 depends on age, it can be difficult to make an early and definite diagnosis in paediatric patients without family history who only exhibited multiple cafè-au-lait spots, highlighting the need for mutational analysis. A combination of techniques was conducted in 30 families with NF1, including multi-gene panels, direct sequencing, cDNA sequencing and multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification.

Survival Motor Neuron (SMN) Protein Insufficiency Exacerbates Renal Ischemia/Reperfusion Injury.

The survival of motor neuron (SMN) protein is ubiquitously involved in spliceosome assembly and ribonucleoprotein biogenesis. SMN protein is expressed in kidney and can affect cell death processes. However, the role of SMN in acute kidney injury (AKI) is largely unknown.

Association between trimester-specific gestational weight gain and childhood obesity at 5 years of age: results from Shanghai obesity cohort.

Background: It is still unclear if and at which trimester gestational weight gain is related to childhood adiposity. Thus we aimed to evaluate the association between trimester-specific gestational weight gain and body-fat compositions in Chinese children.

Methods: Maternal gestational weight were measured by trained nurses every 2 to 4 weeks from the first prenatal care, and body-fat compositions of 407 children from the Shanghai Obesity Cohort at 5 years of age were measured by nutritionist through bioelectrical impedance analysis.

The effects of mechanical stretch on the biological characteristics of human adipose-derived stem cells.

Adipose-derived stem cells (ADSCs) are a subset of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), which have promised a vast therapeutic potential in tissue regeneration. Recent studies have demonstrated that combining stem cells with mechanical stretch may strengthen the efficacy of regenerative therapies. However, the exact influences of mechanical stretch on MSCs still remain inconclusive.

Heart sound signals can be used for emotion recognition.

This article studies whether heart sound signals can be used for emotion recognition. First, we built a small emotion heart sound database, and simultaneously recorded the participants' ECG for comparative analysis. Second, according to the characteristics of the heart sound signals, two emotion evaluation indicators were proposed: HRV of heart sounds (difference between successive heartbeats) and DSV of heart sounds (the ratio of diastolic to systolic duration variability).

Feasibility study and reference values of FibroScan 502 with M probe in healthy preschool children aged 5 years.

Background: Transient elastography (TE) using FibroScan with M probe has been widely used in adults for controlled attenuation parameter (CAP) and liver stiffness measurement (LSM). In this study, we aimed to assess the feasibility of this approach and reference values of CAP and LSM in healthy preschool children aged 5 years.

Methods: FibroScan-502 with M probe (Echosens, Paris, France) and bioelectrical impedance analysis (InBody 720, Biospace, South Korea) were prospectively conducted in healthy children aged 5 years from the Shanghai Prenatal Cohort Study.

De novo Cardiac Valve Calcification after Hemodialysis in End-Stage Renal Disease Patients Predicts Future Cardiovascular Events: A Longitudinal Cohort Study.

Background: Cardiac valve calcification (CVC) in maintenance hemodialysis patients is associated with adverse cardiovascular outcomes. However, whether de novo CVC in incident hemodialysis patients predicts future cardiovascular events is unknown.

Methods: This study included 174 patients newly receiving hemodialysis without CVC as reflected by echocardiography between January 2005 and December 2014.

Clinical utility in infants with suspected monogenic conditions through next-generation sequencing.

Background: Rare diseases are complex disorders with huge variability in clinical manifestations. Decreasing cost of next-generation sequencing (NGS) tests in recent years made it affordable. We witnessed the diagnostic yield and clinical use of different NGS strategies on a myriad of monogenic disorders in a pediatric setting.

Influence of drugs on the prospective diagnostic method for coronary heart disease with urine.

The morbidity of coronary heart disease (CHD) with high risks has been rising in recent years. A novel and noninvasive method based on surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) was proposed by Yang et al. (Analyst 143: 2235, 2018) to prospectively diagnose the arterial blockage by detecting platelet-derived growth factor-BB (PDGF-BB) in urine.

Role of Noncoding RNA in Development of Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease.

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is increasing in prevalence globally, but little is known about its specific molecular mechanisms. During the past decade, noncoding RNAs (ncRNAs) have been linked to NAFLD initiation and progression. They are a class of RNAs that play an important role in regulating gene expression despite not encoding proteins.

The prognostic signature of the somatic mutations in Ewing sarcoma: from a network view.

Background: Ewing sarcoma is a malignant bone tumor mainly affecting teenagers and young adults. Its main driver mutation, the EWS-FLI1 fusion gene, has been identified more than 20 years ago, whereas its other somatic mutations have been just recently reported.

Methods: In this study, we organized the somatic mutations from 216 Ewing sarcoma cases into 216 individual protein-protein interaction networks by using interactome information.

Transcoracoacromial Ligament Glenohumeral Injection Technique Using Bony Surface Landmarks.

Intra-articular glenohumeral injection is an important technique used to diagnose and treat shoulder disorders. However, it is frequently performed as an image-guided technique with the use of fluoroscopy, ultrasound, computed tomography, or magnetic resonance. The purpose of this Technical Note is to describe a transcoracoacromial ligament glenohumeral injection technique that uses anatomic surface landmarks to avoid the need for radiographic guidance.

Maternal fine particulate matter (PM) exposure and adverse birth outcomes: an updated systematic review based on cohort studies.

Exposure to ambient air pollutants during pregnancy may be associated with numerous side health effects and adverse birth outcomes. Growing numbers of studies have explored a possible linkage between prenatal exposure to PM (particulate matter with aerodynamic diameter ≤ 2.5 μm) and impacts on fetal development.

Preconceptional paternal antiepileptic drugs use and risk of congenital anomalies in offspring: a nationwide cohort study.

Recent studies have shown that certain pharmacological agents used by fathers before conception may increase the risk of adverse neonatal outcomes in offspring. However, little is known about the effect of paternal use of antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) on congenital anomalies in children. Based on Danish national registers, we conducted a cohort study of 733, 282 singletons born from 1997 to 2008, with follow-up throughout 2013.

The Value of 1H-MRS and MRI in Combined Methylmalonic Aciduria and Homocystinuria.

Objective: The aims of this study were to describe the brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) features of methylmalonic aciduria and homocystinuria and to evaluate the additional value of H-MRS.

Patients And Methods: Twenty-eight children with methylmalonic aciduria and homocystinuria were included in this study. The control group included 21 healthy children.

A pilot study on clinicopathological features and intestinal microflora changes in colorectal cancer patients born over a nine-year period encompassing three years before and after the Great Chinese famine.

Background: Exposure to energy restriction during childhood is associated with a lower risk of developing colorectal cancer (CRC). To date, the association between this critical period of growth and prognosis of CRC has rarely been investigated. Changes in microbiota and epigenetic dysregulation may be key underlying mechanisms.

Wnt16 attenuates osteoarthritis progression through a PCP/JNK-mTORC1-PTHrP cascade.

Objectives: Wnt16 is implicated in bone fracture and bone mass accrual both in animals and humans. However, its functional roles and molecular mechanism in chondrocyte differentiation and osteoarthritis (OA) pathophysiology remain largely undefined. In this study, we analysed its mechanistic association and functional relationship in OA progression in chondrocyte lineage.

Low to moderate toenail arsenic levels in young adulthood and incidence of diabetes later in life: findings from the CARDIA Trace Element study.

Some studies suggest a positive association between arsenic exposure and risk of diabetes. However, the findings are inconsistent and inconclusive, particularly at a low to moderate arsenic exposure level, and longitudinal data are lacking. We examined toenail arsenic at low to moderate level in young adulthood in relation to incidence of diabetes later in life.

Mitochondrial NDUFA4L2 protein promotes the vitality of lung cancer cells by repressing oxidative stress.

Background: Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) accounts for a significant proportion of cancer-related deaths and lacks an effective treatment strategy. NSCLC tissues are generally found in a low oxygen environment. The NDUFA4L2 protein, located in the mitochondria, is encoded by the nucleus genome and is considered a crucial mediator that regulates cell survival.

MiR-144 Inhibits Tumor Growth and Metastasis in Osteosarcoma via Dual-suppressing RhoA/ROCK1 Signaling Pathway.

Several microRNAs (miRNAs) have been found expressed differentially in osteosarcoma (OS), so they may function in the onset and progression of OS. In this study, we found that miR-144 significantly suppresses osteosarcoma cell proliferation, migration, and invasion ability in vitro and inhibited tumor growth and metastasis in vivo. Mechanically, we demonstrated that Ras homolog family member A (RhoA) and its pivotal downstream effector Rho-associated, coiled-coil-containing protein kinase 1 (ROCK1) were direct targets of miR-144.

[Multicenter study of human adenovirus infection in pediatric community-acquired pneumonia in China].

To investigate the predominant genotypes and epidemiological characteristics of human adenovirus (HAdV) in pediatric community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) in China. This was a repeated cross sectional study. Between November 2014 and November 2016, nasopharyngeal aspirates (NPAs) or throat swabs from each hospitalized pediatric patients diagnosed as CAP in 12 hospitals in Northern and Southern China were collected.

Fas Signaling in Dendritic Cells Mediates Th2 Polarization in HDM-Induced Allergic Pulmonary Inflammation.

Fas-Fas ligand (FasL) signaling plays an important role in the development of allergic inflammation, but the cellular and molecular mechanisms are still not well known. By using the bone marrow-derived dendritic cell (BMDC) transfer-induced pulmonary inflammation model, we found that house dust mite (HDM)-stimulated FAS-deficient BMDCs induced higher Th2-mediated allergic inflammation, associated with increased mucus production and eosinophilic inflammation. Moreover, FAS-deficient BMDCs promoted Th2 cell differentiation upon HDM stimulation .