Diversity of Rotavirus Strains Causing Diarrhea in <5 Years Old Chinese Children: A Systematic Review

Background

We conducted a systematic review of the diversity and fluctuation of group A rotavirus strains circulating in China.

Methods and Findings

Studies of rotavirus-based diarrhea among children less than 5 years, published in English or Chinese between 1994 and 2012, were searched in PubMed, SinoMed, and CNKI and reviewed by applying standardized algorithms. The temporal and spatial trends of genotyping and serotyping were analyzed using a random-effects model. Ninety-three studies met the inclusion/exclusion criteria and were included in the meta-analysis. Overall, 22,112 and 10,660 rotavirus samples had been examined for G and P types, respectively. The most common G types were G1 (39·5%), G3 (35·6%), G2 (1·3%), and G9 (0·1%). Among P types, P[8] (54·6%) was the predominant type, followed by P[4] (11·1%) and P6 (0·1%). The most common G-P combinations were G3P[8] (32·1%) and G1P[8] (24·5%), followed by G2P[6] (13·2%) and G2P[4] (10·1%). Before 2000, serotype G1 was the predominant strain and accounted for 74·3% of all rotavirus infections; however, since 2000, G3 (45·2%) has been the predominant strain. Rotavirus P types showed little variation over the study period.

Conclusion

Despite the variation of serotypes observed in China, the G1, G2, G3, and G4 serotypes accounted for most rotavirus strains in recent decades. These results suggest that Chinese children will be adequately protected with currently available or forthcoming rotavirus vaccines.     

Corneal Thickness Profile and Associations in Chinese Children Aged 7 to 15 Years Old

Corneal thickness (CT) maps of the central (2-mm diameter), para-central (2 to 5-mm diameter), peripheral (5 to 6-mm diameter), and minimum (5-mm diameter) cornea were measured in normal Chinese school children aged 7 to 15 years old using Fourier-domain optical coherence tomography. Multiple regression analyses were performed to explore the effect of associated factors [age, gender, refraction, axial length and corneal curvature radius (CCR)] on CT and the relationship between central corneal thickness (CCT) and intraocular pressure (IOP). A total of 1228 eyes from 614 children were analyzed. The average CCT was 532.96 ± 28.33 μm for right eyes and 532.70 ±28.45 μm for left eyes. With a 10 μm increase in CCT, the IOP was elevated by 0.37 mm Hg, as measured by noncontact tonometry. The CT increased gradually from the center to the periphery. The superior and superior nasal regions had the thickest CTs, while the thinnest points were primarily located in the inferior temporal cornea. The CCT was associated with CCR (p = 0.008) but not with gender (p = 0.075), age (p = 0.286), axial length (p = 0.405), or refraction (p = 0.985). In the para-central region and the peripheral cornea, increased CT was associated with younger age, male gender, and a flatter cornea.     

A Statistical Skull Geometry Model for Children 0-3 Years Old

Head injury is the leading cause of fatality and long-term disability for children. Pediatric heads change rapidly in both size and shape during growth, especially for children under 3 years old (YO). To accurately assess the head injury risks for children, it is necessary to understand the geometry of the pediatric head and how morphologic features influence injury causation within the 0–3 YO population. In this study, head CT scans from fifty-six 0–3 YO children were used to develop a statistical model of pediatric skull geometry. Geometric features important for injury prediction, including skull size and shape, skull thickness and suture width, along with their variations among the sample population, were quantified through a series of image and statistical analyses. The size and shape of the pediatric skull change significantly with age and head circumference. The skull thickness and suture width vary with age, head circumference and location, which will have important effects on skull stiffness and injury prediction. The statistical geometry model developed in this study can provide a geometrical basis for future development of child anthropomorphic test devices and pediatric head finite element models.     

5 岁以下儿童ORMDL3基因表达与哮喘预测指数相关性分析

目的:为了探究ORMDL3(orosomucoid 1-like 3)基因表达量与哮喘预测指数(Asthma predictive index,API)、性别、年龄、遗传和环境等因素之间的相关性。方法:从2013年4月-2014年8月,我们收集了115位数据有效的5岁以下儿童的资料,并依据API严格标准对其进行分类:API+(过去一年内喘息次数≥4)、API-(过去一年内喘息次数1-3次)和API0(无喘息)组,统计三组之间的基本资料,并检测ORMDL3基因表达量与API、性别、年龄、家族史、喘息次数、和鼻炎之间的相关性。结果:API+组内男女性别比例显著高于其他组,ORMDL3基因表达量在API0内的表达量显著高于API+和API-组内表达量(P=0.044),并且ORMDL3基因表达量与API指数之间存在一定的相关性(相关系数:-0.232,P=0.020),但是ORMDL3基因表达量与性别、年龄、家族史、喘息次数、和鼻炎之间无统计学相关性(P0.05)。结论:ORMDL3基因表达量与API指数之间存在微弱的负相关性,API阳性鉴定标准需要进一步的改进。     

5岁以下哮喘患儿血清过敏原病例对照研究及相关性分析

摘要 目的：探讨5岁以下哮喘儿童与血清特异性过敏原（specific IgE,sIgE）的分布情况。方法：本研究采用免疫印迹法对 2019 年1月至 2019 年12月在西安交通大学第二附属医院住院的5岁以下62例哮喘患儿和49例喘息患儿的行血清特异性过敏原检测,对比分析5岁以下哮喘和喘息儿童过敏原分布情况及与哮喘的发病关系。结果：户尘螨、猫毛皮屑、狗毛皮屑、蒿草、葎草、桤杨柳山毛榉橡胡桃、烟曲霉、念珠菌点青霉分枝孢霉交链孢霉黑曲霉吸入过敏原和花生黄豆、腰果开心果榛子杏仁核桃、虾蟹、桃苹果芒果荔枝草莓食物过敏原这12类过敏原在哮喘组与喘息组有显著差异（P<0.05）,与哮喘发病有关。多因素logistic回归分析结果显示户尘螨、猫毛皮屑、坚果类、霉菌、水果类是哮喘发病的危险因素（P<0.05）。户尘螨、猫毛皮屑和虾蟹是男性哮喘患儿发病的危险因素,念珠菌点青霉分枝孢霉交链孢霉黑曲霉是女性哮喘患儿发病的危险因素（P<0.05）。结论：血清特异性（sIgE）过敏原在哮喘与喘息患儿中分布不同,同时发现过敏原在哮喘患儿中存在性别差异,故对哮喘患儿进行过敏性检测可以作为回避过敏原的依据。     

Differences in Perception and in the Operational Level of Thinking of Children Four to Eight Years Old

Today the importance for intellectual development of a child's acquisition of the conservation of quantity is generally recognized. However, the question of the mechanism of the ontogeny of invariant perception has not yet been definitively resolved. Piaget and his disciples thought that the genesis of invariant perception depended basically on internal structural equilibria, as a result of which new structures (inventions) constituting the basis of intellectual development are formed. In recent years, adherents to this theory have begun to admit a limited possibility of intervening in the development of intelligence [7,8,12].     

Development of Emotion Word Comprehension in Chinese Children from 2 to 13 Years Old: Relationships with Valence and Empathy

Children’s emotion word comprehension (EWC) has constantly received a great deal of attention in developmental science. However, since previous reports focused on only English emotion vocabulary, researchers thus far remained unclear as to the developmental trajectories of EWC (to Chinese emotion words) in Chinese children, let alone the cross-cultural difference of EWC in different languages (i.e., English V.S. Chinese). Furthermore, the influence of valence on EWC, as well as the interaction mechanism between EWC and empathy, has not been fully investigated. Finding answers to these research gaps has become the main motivation of the current study. For this purpose, a Chinese emotion vocabulary was first constructed to estimate EWC of Chinese children (ages 2–13 years old). Then, the valence of each emotion word was evaluated using the standard 9-point scale approach. After that, the Chinese children’s EWC and empathy were measured in terms of parental ratings. Finally, all data collected were statistically analyzed to reveal the influence of the valence of EWC, the relation between EWC and empathy, and the cross-cultural difference of children’s EWC between China and UK from the viewpoint of developmental science. The main results of the current study included the following: (i) EWC in general increased with age for Chinese children ages 2–13 years old, however, there was a dramatic increase during ages 6–8 years old; (ii) EWC of positive emotion words in general developed better than that of negative and neutral ones for Chinese children (ages 2–13 years old); and the disadvantage of EWC to negative emotion words over neutral ones was gradually observed with the increase of age, even though there were no significant differences between them from the beginning; (iii) EWC completely mediated the effect of age on empathy; and (iv) EWC of children in UK developed better than Chinese counterparts during the early childhood period (ages 4–6 years old), then Chinese counterparts developed better during the middle childhood period (ages 7–10 years old), however, there was no significant difference of EWC between both groups during the late childhood period (ages 11–12 years old).     

On the Development of Proper Pronunciation in Children From one and a Half to Three Years Old

The problem of early development of proper pronunciation of sounds by children continues to be of pressing concern. The need to teach reading, writing, and a foreign language at an early age (five or six) demands that by this age the process of development of correct pronunciation of words be completed. However, according to data of V.I. Telenchi, (21) who studied 2,378 kindergarten children, a substantial number (21-40%) continue to have pronunciation defects even at six and seven. Pronunciation defects complicate not only education but the child's social contacts, and have a negative effect upon the behavior of children being raised in a group.     

Patterns of Development of Intellectual Functions in Deaf Children 7-12 Years Old

Study of the developmental characteristics of higher mental functions in congenitally deaf children who otherwise have no primary mental defects should help us improve differential diagnosis of abnormal mental development in children with this sensory defect and further differentiate remedial, medical, and pedagogical measures that take into account the specifics of both the sensory defect and the cerebral anomaly. Much has been achieved in study of the distinctive features of cognitive development in deaf children, thanks to the efforts of Zh.I. Shif, T.V. Rozanova, N.V. Iakovleva, A.P. Gozova, and N.V. Iashkova [8,9]. Nevertheless, some aspects of the development of intellectual functions in the deaf and, in particular, the nature of the interrelations among the different mental functions in the process of individual development, have not been sufficiently studied at the different ontogenetic stages in children with this sensory impairment.     

Pulmonary Contusion in Children due to Rubber Bullet Injuries

Three cases of pulmonary contusion occurred in children as a result of injuries from “rubber bullets.” Radiological changes were evident soon after the injury, and in one case these persisted for two months. Symptoms disappeared quickly in all three cases.     

Stochastic-rheological Simulation of Free-fall Arm Impact in Children: Application to Playground Injuries

The aim of this study was to develop and pilot a stochastic-rheological biomechanical model to investigate the mechanics of impact fractures in the upper limbs of children who fall in everyday situations, such as when playing on playground equipment. The rheological aspect of the model characterises musculo-skeletal tissues in terms of inertial, elastic and viscous parameters. The stochastic aspect of the model allows natural variation of children's musculo-skeletal mechanical properties to be accounted for in the analysis. The relationship of risk factors, such as fall height, impact surface, child mass and bone density, to the probability of sustaining an injury in playground equipment falls were examined and found to closely match findings in epidemiological, clinical and biomechanical literature. These results suggest that the stochastic-rheological model is a useful tool for the evaluation of arm fracture risk in children. Once fully developed, information from this model will provide the basis for recommendations for modifications to playground equipment and surface standards.     

Viral and Atypical Bacterial Etiology of Acute Respiratory Infections in Children under 5 Years Old Living in a Rural Tropical Area of Madagascar

Background

In Madagascar, very little is known about the etiology and prevalence of acute respiratory infections (ARIs) in a rural tropical area. Recent data are needed to determine the viral and atypical bacterial etiologies in children with defined clinical manifestations of ARIs.

Methods

During one year, we conducted a prospective study on ARIs in children between 2 to 59 months in the community hospital of Ampasimanjeva, located in the south-east of Madagascar. Respiratory samples were analyzed by multiplex real-time RT-PCR, including 18 viruses and 2 atypical bacteria. The various episodes of ARI were grouped into four clinical manifestations with well-documented diagnosis: “Community Acquired Pneumonia”(CAP, group I), “Other acute lower respiratory infections (Other ALRIs, group II)”, “Upper respiratory tract infections with cough (URTIs with cough, group III)”and “Upper respiratory tract infections without cough (URTIs without cough, group IV)”.

Results

295 children were included in the study between February 2010 and February 2011. Viruses and/or atypical bacteria respiratory pathogens were detected in 74.6% of samples, the rate of co-infection was 27.3%. Human rhinovirus (HRV; 20.5%), metapneumovirus (HMPV A/B, 13.8%), coronaviruses (HCoV, 12.5%), parainfluenza virus (HPIV, 11.8%) and respiratory syncytial virus A and B (RSV A/B, 11.8%) were the most detected. HRV was predominantly single detected (23.8%) in all the clinical groups while HMPV A/B (23.9%) was mainly related to CAP (group I), HPIV (17.3%) to the “Other ALRIs” (group II), RSV A/B (19.5%) predominated in the group “URTIs with cough” (group III) and Adenovirus (HAdV, 17.8%) was mainly detected in the “without cough” (group IV).

Interpretation

This study describes for the first time the etiology of respiratory infections in febrile children under 5 years in a malaria rural area of Madagascar and highlights the role of respiratory viruses in a well clinically defined population of ARIs.     

Development of the Intrinsic Language Network in Preschool Children from Ages 3 to 5 Years

Resting state studies of spontaneous fluctuations in the functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) blood oxygen level dependent signal have shown great potential in mapping the intrinsic functional connectivity of the human brain underlying cognitive functions. The aim of the present study was to explore the developmental changes in functional networks of the developing human brain exemplified with the language network in typically developing preschool children. To this end, resting-sate fMRI data were obtained from native Chinese children at ages of 3 and 5 years, 15 in each age group. Resting-state functional connectivity (RSFC) was analyzed for four regions of interest; these are the left and right anterior superior temporal gyrus (aSTG), left posterior superior temporal gyrus (pSTG), and left inferior frontal gyrus (IFG). The comparison of these RSFC maps between 3- and 5-year-olds revealed that RSFC decreases in the right aSTG and increases in the left hemisphere between aSTG seed and IFG, between pSTG seed and IFG, as well as between IFG seed and posterior superior temporal sulcus. In a subsequent analysis, functional asymmetry of the language network seeding in aSTG, pSTG and IFG was further investigated. The results showed an increase of left lateralization in both RSFC of pSTG and of IFG from ages 3 to 5 years. The IFG showed a leftward lateralized trend in 3-year-olds, while pSTG demonstrated rightward asymmetry in 5-year-olds. These findings suggest clear developmental trajectories of the language network between 3- and 5-year-olds revealed as a function of age, characterized by increasing long-range connections and dynamic hemispheric lateralization with age. Our study provides new insights into the developmental changes of a well-established functional network in young children and also offers a basis for future cross-culture and cross-age studies of the resting-state language network.     

Micro-RNAs Let7e and 126 in Plasma as Markers of Metabolic Dysfunction in 10 to 12 Years Old Children

Background

Growing evidence shows that metabolic syndrome (MetS) is already starting in childhood however there is no consensus regarding how to diagnose this condition in pediatric population. Studies in adults show that altered levels of specific micro-RNAs are related with components of the MetS.

Objective

We determined the plasma levels of four MetS-associated micro-RNAs (miR-126, miR-132, mir-145 and Let-7e) in 10 to 12 years old children with or without MetS traits.

Design

Pediatric subjects were selected from a cohort of 3325 school-age children, and clustered by the absence (control, n = 30), or the presence of 1 (n = 50), 2 (n = 41) or 3 (n = 35) MetS traits according to Cook´s criteria. Micro-RNAs were isolated from plasma, and levels of miR-126, miR-132, miR-145 and Let-7e were determined by Taqman qPCR.

Results

Regression analysis of the different MetS traits regarding the different miRNAs analyzed showed that Let-7e presented a negative association with HDL-C levels, but a positive correlation with the number of MetS traits. Levels of miR-126 presented a positive correlation with waist circumference, waist to hip ratio, BMI, and plasma triglycerides and VLDL-C. Levels of miR-132 showed a positive correlation with waist to hip ratio. Plasma levels of Let-7e were increased (~3.4 fold) in subjects with 3 MetS traits, and showed significant AUC (0.681; 95%CI = [0.58, 0.78]; p < 0.001) in the ROC analysis which were improved when miR-126 was included in the analysis (AUC 0.729; p < 0.001). In silico analysis of the interaction of proteins derived from mRNAs targeted by Let7 and miR-126 showed an important effect of both Let-7e and miR-126 regulating the insulin signaling pathway.

Conclusions

These results suggest that changes in the plasma levels of Let-7e and miR-126 could represent early markers of metabolic dysfunction in children with MetS traits.     

Brain Mechanisms of Voluntary Regulation of Activity during Acquisition of the Skill of Writing in Seven- to Eight-Year-Old Children

With the aim of studying the formation of brain mechanisms of voluntary activity regulation in junior schoolchildren and the role of these mechanisms in the acquisition of the skill of writing, a complex neuropsychological investigation was carried out. In the EEG of children with learning problems and a deficit of voluntary activity regulation (VAR), signs of the functional immaturity of the fronto–thalamic regulatory system (FTS) were found. Comparative neuropsychological analysis revealed a specific impairment of the VAR in these children in the form of pronounced impulsiveness, instability of a program, problems in switching over from one program to another, and self-control difficulties. It is concluded that the functional maturation of the FTS is a mechanism of VAR development. It is shown that the VAR deficiency in children with FTS immaturity is combined with a delay in the development of semantic and mediating speech functions. It was found that the features of the development of the higher mental functions in seven- to eight-year-old children with FTS immaturity specifically affect both the semantic and graphic aspects of writing acquisition.     

Calmodulin-Mediated Cell Cycle Regulation: New Mechanisms for Old Observations

The significance of divalent calcium ions (Ca2+) to cell cycle progression has been a subject of study for several decades, with a regulatory role for Ca2+ suggested in distinct cell types and multiple organisms. Our interest in proliferative vascular diseases led us to focus on mammalian vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMC) in particular, in which we and others had shown that a coordinate elevation in the intracellular free Ca2+ concentration is required for G1 to S phase cell cycle progression. However, the molecular basis for this Ca2+-sensitive cell cycle transition was not known.Our recent discovery of a functional protein-protein interaction between the late G1-active cyclin E1 and the major calcium signal-transducing factor Calmodulin (CaM) sheds new light on the mechanism(s) through which Ca2+ concentrations regulate cell cycle. Having identified a CaM-binding site on cyclin E1, our studies support a direct role for CaM in mediating Ca2+-sensitive cyclin E/cdk2 activity and G1 to S phase transitions in VSMC. The CaM binding site identified on cyclin E1 has a Kd for CaM consistent with that of known CaM-binding proteins, and is composed of a 22 amino acids N-terminal sequence that is highly conserved across several mammalian species. Deletion of this binding site abolished CaM binding and Ca2+-sensitive cyclin E/cdk2 activity.Here we provide our perspectives on the literature supporting a role for Ca2+ in cell cycle regulation, focusing on the evidence implicating CaM in this functionality, and discuss the potential for therapeutic modulation of CaM-dependent cell cycle machinery.