[Autism spectrum disorder-like symptoms in the population with intellectual disability aged 6 to 18 years].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the incidence of autism spectrum disorder (ASD)-like symptoms in the population with intellectual disability (ID). METHODS: The students with ASD or ID, aged 6-18 years, who studied in a special school in Shanghai from January to June, 2017, as well as the typically developing (TD) population of the same age, who studied in a general school in Shanghai during the same period, were enrolled. Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS) was completed by their parents or other guardians, and the ASD-like symptoms were evaluated. RESULTS: A total of 69 subjects with ASD, 74 subjects with ID and 177 TD subjects were enrolled. The ID group had a significantly higher SRS-positive rate than the TD group (47.3% vs 1.7%; P<0.001) and a significantly lower SRS-positive rate than the ASD group (47.3% vs 87.0%; P<0.001). The total score of SRS was 114±26 in the ASD group, 80±24 in the ID group and 38±19 in the TD group. The ID group had a significantly higher total score of SRS than the TD group (P<0.05), and the score on the subscale of social cognition showed the most significant difference between the two groups (Cohen's d=2.00). There were no significant differences in the total score of SRS and the scores on each subscale of SRS between the mild-to-moderate ID and severe-to-extremely severe ID groups (P>0.05), and there was no significant correlation between SRS score and IQ (P>0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The ID population aged 6-18 years has more ASD-like symptoms than the general population, and ASD screening and intervention should be performed for the ID population as early as possible.

Reliability and validity of the translated Chinese version of Autism Spectrum Rating Scale (2-5 years).

BACKGROUND: Early autism screening is of great value, but there is lack of a screening tool of early age (2-5 years) in China. The Autism Spectrum Rating Scale (ASRS, 2-5 years) is a newly developed autism screening tool in the USA. This study aimed to evaluate the reliability and validity of the translated Chinese version of ASRS (C_ASRS) in Chinese children population before its application in China for early autism screening. METHODS: Caregivers of general children aged 2-5 years from 17 kindergartens and autism spectrum disorder (ASD) cases from five special education schools in five cities were recruited to complete the C_ASRS. 1910 valid questionnaires from kindergarteners and 192 from ASD cases were included for analyses. RESULTS: The item reliability (Cronbach's alpha) was more than 0.80 in the screening scale and DSM-5 scale, and 0.51-0.81 in the treatment scale. ASD cases scored higher on total score and most subscales compared to the kindergarteners (Cohen's d ranging from 1.34 to 3.37). C_ASRS showed good discriminatory validity with an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of 0.850 (95% confidence interval: 0.819-0.881). The cutoff ≥ 60 achieved sensitivity of 65.63% and specificity of 85.63% in discriminating autism children from the general population. CONCLUSION: The results indicate that C_ASRS (2-5 years) could be used as an early level-2 screening tool for autism screening in China and should be further revised for level-1 screening.

Analysis of allergens in 5 473 patients with allergic diseases in Harbin, China / 生物医学与环境科学（英文）

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To analyze the allergic status to common inhalant allergens and food allergens in clinical patients in Harbin in northeastern China and provide evidence to develop the prevention strategy of allergic disease.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>The data were collected from 5 473 patients with clinical suspected allergic diseases seeking medical care in the Second Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University. Among these patients, 2 530 (46.2%) were males aged 0-86 years, the youngest was only 1 month old and 2 579 (47.1%) were young children and teenagers. The serum specific Immunoglobulin E (sIgE) to 14 kinds of common allergens and serum total IgE were detected by using AllergyScreen test (Mediwiss Analytic GmbH, Moers, Germany).</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>In 5 473 subjects the positive rate of sIgE was 33.1% (n=1 813). Cow milk (6.9%) and wheat (3.1%) were the most common food allergens, followed by house dust mite mix (12.5%) and mould mix (9.4%) and the age and gender specific differences in the positive rate were significant. For the children aged <7 years the positive rates to cow milk, beef-mutton, and egg white/egg yolk were high, but the positive rates to house dust mite mix, ragweed estragon, and mould mix were low (P<0.05). For the adults the positive rates to aeroallergens were high while the rates to food allergens were low.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>The results from this study showed that the food allergens in Harbin had geographic characteristics, which support the viewpoint that the environment factors play an important role in the incidence of allergic diseases. Also, the detection of sIgE and total IgE are essential to identify relevant allergens for the purpose of early diagnosis, management and prevention of allergic disease.</p>