Value of serum miR-17-92 cluster in diagnosis of retinoblastoma / 中国当代儿科杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the value of serum miR-17-92 cluster in the diagnosis of retinoblastoma (RB).</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Serum samples were collected from 20 children with RB and 20 healthy controls. Quantitative real-time PCR was used to measure the expression of miR-17-92 cluster. The expression of miR-17-92 cluster was compared between children with different stages of RB and the changes in the expression of miR-17-92 cluster after multimodality therapy were analyzed. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to investigate the value of serum miR-17-92 cluster in the diagnosis of RB.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Compared with the healthy controls, the children with RB had significantly higher relative expression of miR-17-3P, miR-17-5P, miR-18a, and miR-20a in serum (P<0.05), and miR-18a showed the greatest increase. There were no significant differences in the relative expression of miR-19a, miR-19b-1, and miR-92a-1 between children with RB and healthy controls (P>0.05). There were no significant differences in the expression of miR-17-5P, miR-17-3P, miR-18a, and miR-20a between the children with early-to-moderate stage of RB and those with advanced stage of RB (P>0.05), but there were significant reductions after multimodality therapy (P<0.05). In the diagnosis of RB, the areas under the ROC curve (AUCs) for serum miR-17-3P, miR-17-5P, miR-18a, and miR-20a were 0.770, 0.755, 0.828, and 0.665 respectively, and miR-18a had the largest AUC, with a sensitivity of 90% and a specificity of 65%.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>miR-17-3P, miR-17-5P, miR-18a, and miR-20a are highly expressed in the serum of children with RB, and miR-18a may be used as a new marker for the diagnosis of RB.</p>

A preliminary study of retinoblastoma-related serum tumor markers / 中国当代儿科杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To screen out retinoblastoma (RB)-related serum tumor markers by measuring the levels of serum alpha fetoprotein (AFP), carcino-embryonic antigen (CEA), neuron-specific enolase (NSE), carbohydrate antigen 125 (CA125), carbohydrate antigen 153 (CA153), carbohydrate antigen 199 (CA199), and carbohydrate antigen 724 (CA724) in children with RB.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>The levels of seven serum tumor markers (AFP, CEA, NSE, CA125, CA153, CA199, and CA724) were determined in 20 children with RB and 20 healthy children (control) using a chemiluminescent immunoassay.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The serum levels and positive rates of NSE, CA153, and CA199 in the RB group were significantly higher than those in the control group (P<0.05). However, there were no significant differences in the levels of AFP, CEA, CA125, and CA724 between the two groups (P>0.05). NSE had the highest sensitivity, but a relatively low specificity for the diagnosis of RB. CA153 and CA199 had a relatively high specificity, but a relatively low sensitivity for the diagnosis of RB.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>The serum levels and positive rates of NSE, CA153, and CA199 are high in children with RB. Combined measurement of these three serum tumor markers may have an important diagnostic value for RB.</p>

Changing trends and clinical characteristics of febrile seizures in children / 中国当代儿科杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the clinical characteristics and changing trends of febrile seizures (FS) in children.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>The clinical data of 1 922 children with FS admitted from 2004 to 2013 were analyzed retrospectively. The clinical characteristics and changing trends of FS in the two five-year periods were analyzed.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>In 1 922 children with FS, the male/female ratio was 2.27:1. The mean age at onset was 3.0±1.8 years, while the peak age at onset was 1-3 years. There were 1 556 children (80.96%) with simple FS and 366 (19.04%) with complex FS. The number of children with FS in the second five-year period (1 202 cases) increased by 66.9% compared with that in the first five-year period (720 cases). The proportion of children with complex FS was significantly higher in the second five-year period than in the first five-year period (21.13% vs 15.56%; P<0.05). In children with simple FS, there were no significant differences in the age and body temperature at onset, convulsion duration, and the incidence of complications between the two five-year periods (P>0.05). However, children with complex FS had a significantly lower age at onset, a significantly lower body temperature at onset, a significantly longer convulsion duration, and a significantly higher incidence of complications including myocardial injury and hyponatremia in the second five-year period than in the first five-year period (P<0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>In the last decade, the number of children with FS and incidence of complex FS increased, and the outcome became worse according to clinical characteristics, suggesting that more attention should be paid to timely diagnosis and treatment of complex FS.</p>

Clinical features and risk factors of co-morbid tic disorder in children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder / 中国当代儿科杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To study the clinical features and risk factors of co-morbid tic disorder (TD) in children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).</p><p><b>METHODS</b>A total of 312 children with ADHD were involved in this study. Subtypes of co-morbid TD, incidences of TD in different subtypes of ADHD (ADHD-I, ADHD-HI and ADHD-C) were observed. Thirteen potential factors influencing the comorbidity rate of TD in ADHD were evaluated by univariate analysis and multiple logistic regression analysis.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Forty-two of 312 children with ADHD suffered from co-morbid TD (13.5%). Comorbidity rate of TD in children with ADHD-C (24.1%) was significantly higher than in those with ADHD-HI (10.9%) and ADHD-I (8.8%) (P<0.05). There were 21 cases (50.0%) of transient TD, 12 cases (28.6%) of chronic TD, and 9 cases (21.4%) of Tourette syndrome. The univariate analysis revealed 6 factors associated with comorbidity: addiction to mobile phone or computer games, poor eating habits, infection, improper family education, poor relationship between parents and poor relationship with schoolmates. Multiple logistic analysis revealed two independent risk factors for comorbidity: improper family education (OR=7.000, P<0.05) and infection (OR=2.564, P<0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>The incidence of co-morbid TD in children with ADHD is influenced by many factors, and early interventions should be performed based on the main risk factors.</p>

Preventive effect of behavioral therapy plus flunarizine in children with migraine / 中国当代儿科杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the preventive effect of behavioral therapy plus flunarizine in children with migraine.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Ninety pediatric patients with migraine between January 2011and January 2014 were randomly divided into treatment group (45 cases) and control group (45 cases). The treatment group received behavioral therapy in addition to oral flunarizine, while the control group received oral flunarizine alone. All patients were followed up for 3 months to evaluate the therapeutic effect by the Pediatric Migraine Disability Assessment Score (PedMIDAS) and improved Bussone headache index.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>There were no significant differences in PedMIDAS (P>0.05) and improved Bussone headache index (P>0.05) between the control and treatment groups before treatment. Significant differences were observed in PedMIDAS (16±8 vs 20±10; P<0.05) and improved Bussone headache index (25±18 vs 37±21; P<0.05) between the two groups after 3 months of treatment.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>Preventive treatment of behavioral therapy plus oral flunarizine shows a better clinical efficacy than oral flunarizine alone in children with migraine and holds promise for clinical application.</p>

An epidemiological survey of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in school-age children in Shenzhen / 中国当代儿科杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the prevalence of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and behavior problems among school-age children in Shenzhen City of Guangdong.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>A total of 10553 students in Grades 1-6 from different primary schools in Shenzhen City were assessed by Conners Parent Symptom Questionnaire (PSQ) and Conners Teacher Rating Scale (TRS). Children showing abnormalities according to PSQ or TRS were further assessed according to the diagnostic standard for ADHD as laid out in the diagnostic and statistical manual for mental disorders- 4th edition (DSM-Ⅳ).</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>A total of 8193 PSQ and TRS assessments were completed. The children were aged from 7 to 13 years. The total prevalence rate was 7.60% by PSQ and 5.59 % by TRS. Four hundred and forty-two children were diagnosed having ADHD by DSM-Ⅳ, with a prevalence rate of 5.39%. There were significant differences in the prevalence rate of ADHD among children aged 7 to 13 years (χ2=21.613, P<0.05). In children aged 7 to 9 years, the prevalence rate was higher (above 6%). The prevalence rate of ADHD in boys was significantly higher than in girls (6.65% vs 3.12%; P<0.05). Impulsion and hyperactivity (79.6%), learning (60.6%) and conduct disorders (52.0%) were the main behavioral problems in children with ADHD. The prevalence of learning disorders was higher in girls than in boys. Conclusions The prevalence rate of ADHD in children from primary schools in Shenzhen City is 5.39%, and it is higher in children aged 7 to 9 years. Boys have a higher prevalence rates of ADHD than girls. Impulsion and hyperactivity, learning and conduct disorders are common problems in children with ADHD.</p>

Clinical features of various subtypes of attention deficit hyperactivity disorders in children / 中国当代儿科杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To study the features of various subtypes of attention deficit hyperactivity disorders (ADHD) in children.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Sex composition, risk factors, comorbidities, intelligence quotient and behavioral problems were investigated in 175 children with ADHD who met the Diagnostic Statistical Manual of Mental Disorder Criteria (DSM-IV). The children were classified into three groups: ADHD predominantly inattentive (ADHD-I, n=82), ADHD predominantly hyperactive-impulsive (ADHD-HI, n=24) and ADHD combined type (ADHD-C, n=69).</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>There were no significant differences in the sex composition among the three groups. The rates of birth abnormality in the ADHD-I and the ADHD-C groups were higher than those in the ADHD-HI group. Negative parenting practices were noted more frequently in the ADHD-HI and the ADHD-C groups than the ADHD-I group. There were no significant differences in the performance intelligence quotient (PIQ), verbal intelligence quotient (VIQ) and full intelligence quotient (FIQ) among the three groups. However, the incidence of imbalance between VIQ and PIQ in the ADHD-I group was higher than the other two groups. The rate of comorbidities with oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) and tic disorder (TD) in the ADHD-C and the ADHD-HI groups was higher than that in the ADHD-I group. Both the ADHD-I and the ADHD-C groups had a higher rate of comorbidities with learning disorder (LD) than the ADHD-HI group. The impulsive/hyperactive and conduct problems were more severe and the hyperactivity index was higher in the ADHD-C and the ADHD-HI groups than those in the ADHD-I group, while the learning difficulties in the ADHD-I group were the most severe.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>The children with ADHD-C or ADHD-HI have higher incidences of comorbidities with ODD and TD than those with ADHD-I who the learning difficulties and the imbalance between VIQ and PIQ are more severe.</p>