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Abstract: Pentastomiasis, a zoonotic parasitic disease, has been reported commonly in Africa and Asia. It is caused by pentastomes, which are annulated but unsegmented blood-sucking endoparasites. Fewer than 20 cases have been reported during the past two decades in China, and cases in children have been especially rare. Herein, we report three cases of pediatric patients with severe systemic symptoms, focusing on the clinical features, diagnosis, and therapy of this disease. The patients were two boys and one girl aged 3 to 13years. They all had a history of snake or worm ingested from snake and initial symptoms of fever, abdominal pain, diarrhea, and weight loss. Eosinophilia, anemia and elevated serum IgE levels were noted. Moreover, the large numbers of nodules, or even calcification, in the liver and/or lungs were noted by ultrasound, CT or MRI scans. These pentastomes were identified as Armillifer moniliformis, Porocephalus taiwana and Armillifer agkistrodontis. Praziquantel and mebendazole deworming treatments were adopted for the patients. Hence, pentastomiasis should be considered in the differential diagnosis for patients with multiple organ or system lesions, especially abdominal signs, that develop after the ingestion of snakes. Ultrasound, CT and MRI scans and laparoscopic approaches might be helpful for the diagnosis. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Background: The associations between rs6887695 and 3′-untranslated region (3′-UTR) single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) withininterleukin-12B(IL-12B) and autoimmune diseases (ADs) remain controversial and inconclusive. The aim of this study was to evaluate the association betweenIL-12B(3′-UTR A/C and rs6887695 C/G SNPs) and ADs by meta-analysis.Methods: PubMed and EMBASE were exhaustively searched for studies on the association betweenIL-12BSNPs and ADs. Publication bias was examined by a funnel plot and Egger’s test. The robustness of the pooled results was assessed by sensitivity analysis. A fixed- or a random-effects model was applied to calculate the pooled odds ratios (ORs).Results: A total of 34 studies were included in this meta-analysis. The pooled results demonstrated thatIL-12Brs6887695 SNPs were significantly associated with the risk of ADs. However, there was no significant association betweenIL-12B3′-UTR SNPs and ADs. When the studies were stratified by ethnicity, significant association betweenIL-12B3′-UTR SNPs and ADs was observed in both Asian and European population. In addition, allele A within 3′-UTR ofIL-12Bgene was found to be a protective factor for T1DM, but a risk factor for psoriasis.Conclusion:TheIL-12B3′-UTR and rs6887695 SNPs are associated with susceptibility to ADs. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]