Li Xq

Up-regulated lipocalin-2 in pediatric thyroid cancer correlated with poor clinical characteristics

BackgroundThe incidence of thyroid cancer is fast increasing in both adults and children. The pediatric thyroid cancer had often already progressed to a more advanced stage of the disease at diagnosis. Early detection of pediatric thyroid cancer has been a problem for many years. Lipocalin-2 (Lcn2) has been reported to be over-expressed in cancers of diverse histological origin and it facilitates tumorigenesis by promoting survival, growth, and metastasis.MethodsThe plasma Lcn2 concentration of 28 Chinese papillary thyroid cancer (PTC) children and 24 healthy controls was measured. Immunostaining for Ki-67 of tumor tissue from PTC children was performed. The expression levels of Lcn2 and NFκB in PTC tissue and peri-carcinoma tissue of PTC children were measured through Western blot.ResultsThe plasma concentration of Lcn2 was significantly elevated in pediatric PTC patients compared with healthy controls. Besides, the plasma Lcn2 concentration significantly correlated with clinical characteristics, NFκB level, and Ki-67 positive rate of nucleus in tissue of PTC.ConclusionThis is the first study to evaluate the plasma Lcn2 in pediatric PTC patients. It is possible that the plasma Lcn2 may be a new biomarker of pediatric thyroid cancer. Further studies are needed to explore the definite role and mechanism of Lcn2 in thyroid cancer, which will help to explore novel diagnostic or therapeutic strategies.

Sleep Duration and Factors Related to Sleep Loss in 3–14-Year-Old Children in Beijing: A Cross-Sectional Survey

Background: It is known that short sleep duration adversely affects childrens behavior and physical development. This study aimed to investigate the status of sleep duration in 3–14-year-old children in Beijing and explore the related factors of sleep loss with them. Methods: In this study, a cross-sectional study of random stratified cluster sampling was conducted on 3–14-year-old children and adolescents in Beijing. According to the proportion of children in each district and school, the final cohort included a total of 11 kindergartens, 7 primary schools, and 8 junior high schools from 7 districts of Beijing. Children of sampled classes were included, and their parents were invited to fill a series of questionnaires including the simplified Chinese version of Pediatric Sleep Questionnaire, Sleep Questionnaire Scale, and Hong Kong-Children Sleep Questionnaire about the performance of the last 6 months. Results: Out of the total 11,420 questionnaires, 9198 questionnaires were valid and effective with the response rate of 80.54%. The age of the investigated children was 8.8 ± 3.8 years, including 4736 males and 4462 females. The daily sleep duration of children in Beijing was 9.7 ± 0.7 h. The prevalence of sleep loss (<9 h/day) of children in Beijing was 11.8%. The daily sleep duration of children aged <6, 6 ⩽ age <11, and ≥11 years was 9.7 ± 0.6 h, 9.6 ± 0.6 h, and 9.5 ± 0.8 h, respectively. The sleep duration reduced significantly in children aged ≥11 years as compared to younger children in Beijing which was mainly contributed by the variation tendency of sleep duration on weekdays. The multivariate logistic regression analysis identified factors associated with sleep loss (P < 0.05): male (odds ratio [OR] = 1.32, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.15–1.51), age ≥11 years (OR = 2.37, 95% CI: 1.92–2.93), overweight (OR = 1.34, 95% CI: 1.17–1.54), family history of snoring (OR = 1.35, 95% CI: 1.13–1.61) and activities before bedtime with watching TV (OR = 1.24, 95% CI: 1.08–1.43), sports (OR = 1.22, 95% CI: 1.01–1.48), playing cellphone (OR = 1.91, 95% CI: 1.31–2.73) and surfing the Internet (OR = 1.27, 95% CI: 1.06–1.52) and among them age ≥11 years and playing cellphone before bedtime had greater impact on childrens short sleep duration than that of other factors. Conclusions: Sleep loss was common among 3–14-year-old children in Beijing. Sleep duration decreased with age, especially among children over 11 years old. Factors associated with sleep loss covered sociodemographic characteristics, family sleep habits and routine activities before bedtime, and among those variables, age ≥11 years and playing with cellphones before bedtime had a greater impact on sleep duration, indicating that existing sleep loss in 3–14-year-old children could be, at least partly, improved by paying more attention to children aged of 11 years or entering Grade 5 and Grade 6 and to children with a family history of snoring; by reducing the use of electronic products before bedtime, especially cellphones; by managing weight and keeping fit; and by improving the bedtime routine.

Systematic investigation of childhood sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) in Beijing: validation of survey methodology

Objective To systematically investigate and validate the survey methodology for the epidemiological study of childhood sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) in mainland China using the Mandarin version of the Pediatric Sleep Questionnaire-Sleep-Related Breathing Disorder (PSQ-SRBD). Design A cross-sectional study using randomised, stratified, multistage, cluster sampling method. Setting A total of 11 kindergartens, 7 primary schools and 8 middle schools from 7 districts of Beijing, China. Participants A total of 9198 children with valid questionnaires (4736 boys and 4462 girls; age range 3.0–14.4 years) were included. Primary and secondary outcome measures Data on sociodemographic characteristics and PSQ-SRBD were collected. The score on PSQ-SRBD and the included factors were calculated with the effective data after data cleaning. Logistic regression and factor analysis with the principal components method were used to evaluate the validity of the questionnaire; reliability was assessed by retesting 5% of the respondents after 2±4 weeks of the initial test, and the intraclass correlation coefficient was calculated. Results The effective response rate of80.54% matched the sociodemographic characteristics of the respondents with respect to age group ratio and sex ratio in Beijing. With regard to construct validity of the PSQ-SRBD, the item score, except that of ‘delayed growth’, was highly correlated to the SRBD score as assessed by the logistic regression model. The exploratory factor analysis displayed a credible construct validity, with majority of the items grouped as the original dimensions. The test–retest reliability coefficient of each dimension’s score ranged from 0.758 to 0.901, with an SRBD score of 0.730 indicating significant retest reliability. Conclusions This study conducted and validated a successful survey methodology for investigation of childhood SDB in Beijing, China. The questionnaire demonstrated credible construct validity and retest reliability, thereby supporting the applicability and generalisability of the PSQ-SRBD in a large epidemiological survey of childhood SDB in China.

CO2 laser cauterization approach to congenital pyriform sinus fistula

OBJECTIVEnTo evaluate the efficacy of CO2 laser cauterization with suspension microlaryngoscopy as a definitive surgical treatment for pediatric Congenital Pyriform Sinus Fistula (CPSF).nnnMATERIAL AND METHODSnThis is a cohort retrospective study. Thyroid function and cervical ultrasonography examinations were performed before operation. Enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was performed on patients with a repeated infection (≥2 times) and/or if they had a prior open surgery. Patients were divided into two groups: the <8-year-old group and the ≥8-year-old group. The differences in the number of cauterization procedures between the two age groups and between the initial treatment and the retreatment groups were analyzed.nnnRESULTSnCO2 laser cauterizations with suspension microlaryngoscopy were performed for 104 CPSF patients. No complications occurred. Three patients had a recurrence in the follow-up. The number of surgical cauterization operations was fewer than 3 in 85.1% of the patients. There was no significant difference in the number of cauterizations among the different age groups or between the initial treatment and retreatment groups (P>0.05).nnnCONCLUSIONnCO2 laser cauterization with suspension microlaryngoscopy is a safe, effective, and minimally invasive approach to CPSF with optimal patient outcomes.nnnTYPE OF STUDYnTreatment Study.nnnLEVEL OF EVIDENCEnLevel III.

Digital light procession three-dimensional printing acrylate/collagen composite airway stent for tracheomalacia

Recently, more and more researchers have focused on airway stent applied in tracheomalacia. The airway stents for clinical application were usually manufactured in accordance with a fixed pattern, which were difficult to perfect match with children, especially infants. Digital light procession of light curing acrylate resin implantation showed higher accuracy and printing speed over traditional three-dimensional printing techniques. In this article, a novel personalized airway stent was developed by digital light procession three-dimensional printing and was modified by collagen I extracted from the fish scales. The morphology of the collagen-modified airway stent was examined by scanning electron microscopy, and the chemical structures were examined by attenuated total internal reflectance Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The biocompatibility of this synthetic acrylate/collagen composite airway stent was characterized by water contact angle test and cell culture. The results confirmed that the composite airway stent was hydrophilic and non-cytotoxic toward a cultured human bronchial epithelial cell line with good cell viability and show excellent physicochemical and biological properties. In conclusion, this study presented the three-dimensional printing composite acrylate and collagen airway stent may have potential in customized treatment for tracheomalacia.

Normative values of polysomnographic parameters in Chinese children and adolescents: a cross-sectional study

OBJECTIVEnThe objectives of this study were to characterise age-specific normal polysomnography values in healthy children and to establish reference values for paediatric sleep studies.nnnMETHODSnHealthy children and adolescents aged 3-14 years were recruited from families of hospital employees. The subjects were divided into young (three to five years old) and old (6-14 years old) groups. Each child was subjected to overnight polysomnography. The polysomnographic parameters of sleep architecture, respiratory events and oxygen saturations of the two groups were compared.nnnRESULTSnNinety-nine subjects, including 33 3-5 year olds and 66 6-14 years olds, were recruited. The old group yielded a higher per cent of N2 sleep and lower per cent of R sleep than the young group. Sleep efficiency and latency were similar between the two groups. The average of the total apnoea/hypopnoea index (AHI) was different between the two groups (1.02xa0±xa00.99 vs 0.51xa0±xa00.57, pxa0=xa00.007). The average central apnoea index (CAI) in the young group was higher than that of the old group (0.7xa0±xa00.82 vs 0.28xa0±xa00.42, pxa0=xa00.001), with 97.5 percentile of 3.8 and 1.4, respectively. The obstructive apnoea index (OAI) and obstructive apnoea hypopnoea index(OAHI) were similar in the two groups (OAI: 0.08xa0±xa00.12 and 0.07xa0±xa00.14, and OAHI: 0.18xa0±xa00.21 and 0.19xa0±xa00.26, respectively). The mean lowest SaO2 in the young group was significantly lower than that of the old group because of central apnoea events.nnnCONCLUSIONSnThe findings were consistent with previously published data regarding sleep architecture, oxygen saturations, and relative rarity of respiratory events in normal children. The occurrence of central apnoea varied with age. Therefore, it is suggested that different normal cut-off values be used for children in different age groups.