Oral shedding of HSV-1 and EBV and oral manifestations in paediatric chronic kidney disease patients and renal transplant recipients

Objective: Previous research demonstrated that salivary shedding of HSV-1 and EBV occurs often in adult renal transplant recipients, but there is a lack of studies on the presence of them in the saliva of paediatric population. Therefore, the objective of this study is to describe oral characteristics and to compare the shedding profile of HSV-1 and EBV in the saliva of children with renal transplant to that of chronic kidney disease patients and controls.

Methods: This is a cross-sectional study involving 100 children, being 25 renal transplant recipients, 25 chronic kidney disease patients and 50 healthy children. Demographic and oral clinical characteristics were assessed. Saliva samples were collected and submitted to screening for EBV and HSV-1 by using nested polymerase chain reaction technique. Fisher’s exact, Pearson’s chi-square and Kruskal–Wallis tests were used for statistical analysis at a significance level of 5%.

Results: Oral shedding of HSV-1 (28%) and EBV (60%) were significantly higher in renal transplant recipients compared to the other groups. Single vesicles in the oral mucosa were statistically associated with the presence of HSV-1 (p?=?.035). In children with chronic kidney disease, there was a higher prevalence of pale oral mucosa (32%) and enamel hypoplasia (40%) compared to paediatric renal transplant recipients and controls. Dental calculus (36%), candidiasis (8%), drug-induced gingival overgrowth (16%), mouth blisters (8%), xerostomia (12%) and salivary gland enlargement (20%) were more common in paediatric renal transplant recipients.

Conclusions: Therefore, it can be concluded that salivary shedding of HSV-1 and EBV in paediatric patients was more often found in renal transplant recipients than in the renal failure and control children. Transplanted recipients showed more oral manifestations than renal failure and control children did.     

Influence of Time-Series Normalization,Number of Nodes,Connectivity and Graph Measure Selection on Seizure-Onset Zone Localization from Intracranial EEG

We investigated the influence of processing steps in the estimation of multivariate directed functional connectivity during seizures recorded with intracranial EEG (iEEG) on seizure-onset zone (SOZ) localization. We studied the effect of (i) the number of nodes, (ii) time-series normalization, (iii) the choice of multivariate time-varying connectivity measure: Adaptive Directed Transfer Function (ADTF) or Adaptive Partial Directed Coherence (APDC) and (iv) graph theory measure: outdegree or shortest path length. First, simulations were performed to quantify the influence of the various processing steps on the accuracy to localize the SOZ. Afterwards, the SOZ was estimated from a 113-electrodes iEEG seizure recording and compared with the resection that rendered the patient seizure-free. The simulations revealed that ADTF is preferred over APDC to localize the SOZ from ictal iEEG recordings. Normalizing the time series before analysis resulted in an increase of 25–35% of correctly localized SOZ, while adding more nodes to the connectivity analysis led to a moderate decrease of 10%, when comparing 128 with 32 input nodes. The real-seizure connectivity estimates localized the SOZ inside the resection area using the ADTF coupled to outdegree or shortest path length. Our study showed that normalizing the time-series is an important pre-processing step, while adding nodes to the analysis did only marginally affect the SOZ localization. The study shows that directed multivariate Granger-based connectivity analysis is feasible with many input nodes (>?100) and that normalization of the time-series before connectivity analysis is preferred.     

Corticosteroids as an adjunct to propranolol for infantile haemangiomas complicated by recalcitrant ulceration

A small subset of patients with infantile haemangiomas (IHs) can present with serious complications, the most common of which is ulceration. Ulcerated IHs can be extremely painful and always result in scarring. Numerous studies support the efficacy and reduced side‐effects of propranolol relative to systemic corticosteroids, which led to the adoption of propranolol as the mainstay of IH treatment. However, in certain cases of IH with complex ulceration, propranolol monotherapy may not be sufficient. In this case report, we present two cases that illustrate the effectiveness of the adjunctive use of oral corticosteroids for the treatment of select IHs with recalcitrant painful ulceration, which were refractory to conservative wound care, laser therapy and oral propranolol. We suggest a continuing niche role for the brief use of corticosteroids as an effective adjunct to oral propranolol in managing a subset of complex IHs complicated by intractable ulceration.     

糖皮质激素长疗程间歇疗法治疗神经性皮炎的临床疗效观察

目的探讨外用糖皮质激素长疗程间歇疗法治疗神经性皮炎的疗效、安全性及复发情况,为指导临床用药提供依据。方法采用随机对照开放试验,选取门诊神经性皮炎患者,外用复方氟米松软膏常规疗法短期治疗。将已短期治愈入选的120例患者随机分为2组,试验组外用复方氟米松软膏进行长疗程间歇治疗,2次/d;对照组外用尿素霜（成分：尿素,羊毛脂,白蜡,凡士林）进行治疗,2次/d。2组每周用药2 d,每次间隔3 d用药,疗程8周。在长疗程治疗4周、8周及停药12周时各随访1次,分别比较2组患者的复发率。结果长疗程治疗8周及停药12周时,试验组SCORAD评分均显著低于对照组（P均〈0.05）。长疗程治疗4周、8周及停药12周时,试验组复发率均显著低于对照组（P均〈0.05）。治疗期间不良反应发生率1.67%,无严重不良事件。结论外用糖皮质激素长疗程间歇治疗神经性皮炎,效果好,不良反应少,有预防症状加重、延缓复发的作用。     

Do self‐efficacy and depression predict oral impacts on daily performances across time? A 2‐yr follow‐up of students in Tanzania

This study aimed to assess the longitudinal validity of the oral impacts on daily performance (OIDP) and to identify psychosocial determinants, in terms of self‐efficacy and depressive symptoms, of the OIDP across time. Following conceptual frameworks of oral health, it was hypothesized that sociodemographic, clinical, and psychosocial factors predict oral impacts across time at both population‐ averaged and person‐specific levels. Whether the effects of sociodemographic and clinical factors were accounted for, totally or in part, by psychosocial factors were also investigated. Self administered questionnaires and oral clinical examinations at baseline (2009) and follow‐up (2011) were completed by 1,714 and 727 secondary school students, respectively. Generalized equalized equations and a random intercept model were used to account for the dependency in repeated observations. Mean OIDP change scores were negative (worsened) among those who reported worsened self‐reported oral health. Psychosocial, clinical, and sociodemographic factors were independently associated with oral impacts at the population‐averaged and person‐specific levels. Mediation of sociodemographic and clinical variables according to psychosocial variables was not observed. Satisfactory longitudinal evaluative properties of the OIDP, and independent effects of psychosocial factors on oral impacts across time, were confirmed among secondary school students in Tanzania.     

主动固定电极在右室流出道间隔部起搏中的应用研究

目的评价主动固定电极在右室流出道间隔部起搏应用中的可行性和稳定性。方法160例起搏适应证患者随机分为两组,每组80例,一组采用主动固定电极行右室流出道间隔部起搏(简称主动固定电极组),另一组应用被动固定电极行右室心尖起搏(简称被动固定电极组),观察电极置入时间和心电图QRS波宽度,电极置入后随访观察起搏阈值、感知、阻抗,电极脱位及相关并发症。结果主动固定电极组的置入时间和X线曝光时间均长于被动固定电极(26.34±6.54minvs20.86±4.32min,16.78±5.38minvs8.67±4.52min;P均<0.01)。主动固定电极组电极置入15min时较置入即刻的起搏阈值明显下降(0.76±0.21mVvs1.12±0.25mV,P<0.01)。主动固定电极组起搏的QRS波时限较被动固定电极组短(0.14±0.04msvs0.16±0.03ms,P<0.01)。术后随访1,3,6个月,两组的起搏阈值、感知、阻抗均无差异,未见电极脱位等并发症。结论主动固定电极在右室流出道间隔部起搏中的应用是可行和稳定的。     

Comparison of the efficacy and safety of the adalimumab biosimilar TQ-Z2301 and adalimumab for the treatment of Chinese patients with active ankylosing spondylitis: a multi-center,randomized, double-blind,phase III clinical trial

Clinical Rheumatology - To assess the clinical equivalence of TQ-Z2301, a biosimilar of adalimumab, to the reference adalimumab in the treatment of Chinese patients with active ankylosing...