Association between family environment and developmental coordination disorder in preschool children / 中国当代儿科杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the influence of family environment on developmental coordination disorder (DCD) in preschool children.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Stratified random cluster sampling was used to select 1 727 children (4-6 years old). The Movement Assessment Battery for Children was used to screen out the children with DCD. The Family Environment Scale on Motor Development for Preschool Urban Children and a self-designed questionnaire were used to assess family environment.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>A total of 117 children were confirmed with DCD. There were significant differences in mother's education level and family structure between the DCD and normal control groups. There were also significant differences in the scores of "Let children manage their daily items" and "Arrange all affairs" between the DCD and normal control groups. The multivariate logistic regression analysis indicated that when children's age and gender were controlled, mother's education level, family structure, "Let children manage their daily items", and "Arrange all affairs" were main factors influencing the development of DCD in children (P<0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>Family environment may affect the development of DCD in preschool children. Therefore, parents should not arrange all affairs for children and should provide more opportunities for children to manage their daily life, in order to promote the development of early motor coordination and prevent the development of DCD.</p>

A population-based epidemiological survey of neonatal respiratory failure in Huai'an City of Jiangsu Province, in 2010 / 中国当代儿科杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the prevalence, clinical characteristics, treatment, and prognosis of neonatal respiratory failure (NRF) in Huai'an, Jiangsu Province, China, in 2010.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>The clinical data of all NRF cases in the hospitals of Huai'an in 2010 were prospectively collected and analyzed using descriptive epidemiological methods.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Among 60,986 live births in Huai'an in 2010, there were 556 (0.91%) cases of NRF. The average birth weight of newborns with NRF was 2,433±789 g, with 53.8% determined as low birth weight and 64.1% as preterm. The major causes of NRF were respiratory distress syndrome, pneumonia, asphyxia, sepsis, and pulmonary hemorrhage. Among the newborns with NRF, 23.7% were accompanied by certain birth defects. Fourteen percent of newborns with NRF received pulmonary surfactant (PS) therapy, and the median time of the first dose of PS was 5 hours (range: 0-51 hours). Nasal continuous positive airway pressure treatment, conventional mechanical ventilation, and high-frequency ventilation were used in 67.9%, 33.3%, and 13.7% of patients, respectively. The cure and improvement rate of NRF patients was 73.9% (411/556), and the mortality rate was 22.5% (125/556). The average hospitalization expenses were 9,270 (range: 196-38182) Yuan.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>High morbidity, high mortality and high medical costs make NRF a serious challenge in Huai'an. It is essential to improve the quality of perinatal care and develop new techniques and new models in neonatal respiratory therapy in order to reduce the morbidity and mortality of NRF.</p>

Measurement of plasma mast cell carboxypeptidase and chymase levels in children with allergic diseases / 中国当代儿科杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To evaluate the roles of plasma mast cell carboxypeptidase and chymase in the diagnosis of allergic diseases by measuring the contents of both in children.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>A total of 59 children with allergic diseases and 53 healthy children were recruited into the study. Plasma levels of mast cell carboxypeptidase and chymase were measured using ELISA.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The plasma levels of mast cell carboxypeptidase and chymase in children with allergic children were 1.089 ± 0.752 ng/mL and 0.905(0.375-2.318) ng/mL, respectively, which were significantly higher than those in healthy children [0.593 ± 0.380 ng/mL and 0.454 (0.097-1.077) ng/mL respectively; P<0.05]. There was a significantly positive correlation between plasma mast cell carboxypeptidase and chymase levels in children with allergic diseases (r=0.684, P<0.01).</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>Plasma levels of mast cell carboxypeptidase and chymase increase in children with allergic diseases, suggesting that mast cell carboxypeptidase and chymase may serve as the indexes for the diagnosis of allergic diseases.</p>