Relationship between Vesicoureteral Reflux and Glomerular Filtration Rate in Children

Vesicoureteral reflux(VUR)is one of the most common urinary tract anomalies in children and causes renal damage and studies focusing on the effect of VUR on renal function are rare.We recruited 35 primary VUR patients with recurrent urinary tract infection(UTI)and 10 non-VUR patients with recurrent UTI.Contrast-enhanced voiding urosonography(ceVUS)was performed for VUR grading,and renal dynamic imaging was used for evaluating glomerular filtration rate(GFR,mL/min).Standardized GFR(sGFR),namely GFR/BSA(mL·min-1·m-2),was calculated based on the body surface area(BSA).Total sGFR(tsGFR,mL·min-1·m-2)was obtained from the sum of sGFR on the left and right sides of all the children.The risk of renal regurgitation was equal in the unilateral reflux group.The sGFR of children with grade Ⅳ(45.74±18.05mL·min-1·m-2)and grade V(49.67±23.63mL·min-1·m-2)reflux was significantly lower than that in children with grade Ⅱ(77.69±22.21 mL·min-1·m-2).The renal function compensation of contralateral non-reflux kidney increased in unilateral reflux group,which was higher than that in the control group and level Ⅱ,Ⅳ and Ⅴ of reflux group respectively.In VUR group of the same grade,sGFR decreased with the age at diagnosis.In unilateral grade V refux group,the tsGFR was lower than that in the unilateral grade I reflux group(133.51±48.21 vs.186.87+53.49mL·min-1·m-2).The patients with VUR of unilateral grade Ⅱ were significantly older than those with VUR of unilateral grades Ⅱ and Ⅳ.This study indicates that severe VUR is significantly associated with decreased renal function.Therefore,VUR should be diagnosed early and managed individually.

Spinocerebellar ataxia type 3 with dopamine-responsive dystonia:A case report

BACKGROUND Spinocerebellar ataxia type 3(SCA3)is a rare neurodegenerative disease with high genetic heterogeneity.SCA3 mainly manifests as progressive cerebellar ataxia accompanied by paralysis of extraocular muscles,dysphagia,lingual fibrillation,pyramidal tract sign,and extrapyramidal system sign.However,it rarely has clinical manifestations similar to Parkinson-like symptoms,and is even rarer in patients sensitive to dopamine.We report a patient initially diagnosed with dopamine-responsive dystonia who was ultimately diagnosed with SCA3 by genetic testing,which was completely different from the initial diagnosis.CASE SUMMARY A 40-year-old Chinese woman was admitted to hospital due to severe inflexibility.At the beginning of the disease,she presented with anxiety and sleep disorder.At the later stage,she presented with gait disorder,which was similar to Parkinson's disease.Her medical history was unremarkable,but her mother,grandmother,and uncle all had similar illnesses and died due to inability to take care of themselves and related complications.Laboratory and imaging examinations showed no abnormalities,but electromyography and electroencephalography revealed delayed somatosensory evoked potentials and slow background rhythm,respectively.Her symptoms fluctuated during the daytime,and we initially diagnosed her with dopamine-responsive dystonia.After treatment with lowdose levodopa,the patient’s symptoms were significantly improved,but the final genetic diagnosis was SCA3.CONCLUSION SCA3 has various clinical phenotypes and needs to be differentiated from Parkinson's syndrome and dopamine-responsive dystonia.

First record of ostracods from the Upper Ordovician red-coloured marine sandstones of the Tierekeawati Formation in Tarim Basin, NW China: implications on palaeoenvironment and palaeobiogeography

Ostracods are described for the first time from the red-coloured marine sandstones of Arisu section(Arisu red beds)of the Upper Ordovician Tierekeawati Formation in Kalpin area of northwestern Tarim Basin, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region(Xinjiang), Northwest China. Twenty-two species belonging to thirteen genera are described and figured. The ostracod fauna suggests a probable Sandbian–Katian age for these beds. The palaeoecological assemblage of ostracod fauna implies the deposition in a nearshore-offshore environment during a regression when the Arisu red beds of the Tierekeawati Formation were laid down in the Tarim Basin. Many cosmopolitan and provincial genera were present in diversified ostracod fauna of the Arisu red beds, suggesting the possible biogeographic relationships among the Tarim, Tibet, and South China plates, as well as Europe and North America continents during the Late Ordovician. Ostracods experienced faunal exchanges between Laurentia and the Tarim Plate during the Late Ordovician Period.

Successful Pregnancy and Birth in A FET Cycle Following the Triggering of Oocyte Maturation with 800 IU of Human Chorionic Gonadotropin

Objective To describe two clinical cases involving patients who were administered 800 IU of hCG to trigger oocyte maturation and who underwent a frozen-thawed embryo transfer （FET） cycle. Methods Two infertile patients with high ovarian response undergoing stimulation for IVF,, in which 800 IU of hCG was injected by mistake. IVF patients treated under a short protocol with 800 IU of hCG triggering ovulation. Live birth, clinical pregnancy outcomes and ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome （OHSS） were observed. Results Neither cycle of the two patients was canceled for oocyte retrieval failure and no OHSS was observed. Both patients gave birth to live twins after FET. Conclusion Triggering oocyte maturation in two hyper-responders by employing 800 IU of hCG could produce a good quantity of good-quality oocytes and an excellent clinical pregnancy and retain the opportunity for conception and live birth. Broader studies are needed.

A Polyimide-Based Photocatalyst for Continuous Hydrogen Peroxide Production Using Air and Water under Solar Light

Hydrogen peroxide(H_(2)O_(2))is a clean disinfectant,bleaching agent,and value-added fuel in various systems and is industrially produced through multistep energy-intensive hydrogenation/oxidation using H_(2)and O_(2).The exploitation of metal-free catalysts for alternative H_(2)O_(2)photoconversion is limited by their limited activity and selectivity,especially for the continuous H_(2)O_(2)production using only air,water,and solar light.Now,a cheap and robust polymer,poly(4,4′,4″-(1,3,5-triazine-2,4,6-triyl)triphenyl pyromellitimide)(PTTPI)was rationally synthesized by thermal structure-defect control under relatively low temperature(80-190℃),and the resulting metal-free material with a concisely refined band structure functioned as an efficient and ultra-stable photocatalyst for H_(2)O_(2)production over a wide pH range.The PTTPI photocatalyst with an optimized defective degree(0.51)and moderate bandgap(2.3 eV)exhibited a H_(2)O_(2)production yield rate of 16.6μg h^(−1) mg_(cat)^(−1) and a high apparent quantumefficiency of 16.2%.By merging the well-designed PTTPI catalyst with the water transport path of natural cotton,a zero-emission and sunlightonly input system is constructed for continuous H_(2)O_(2)production from air and water in the natural environment.The design of the polyimide-based catalyst reveals a sustainable future toward efficient H_(2)O_(2)synthesis with sunlight-only energy input,enabling its implementation in other photocatalytic systems and on-site processing communities.