Objective To study the gastroscopic and pathohistologic mucosal changes in children′s chronic gastritis and to improve the diagnosis of the chronic gastritis in children.Methods Two thousand four hundred and forty children with upper-abdominal symptoms who were examined by gastroscopic observation were collected,and samples of gastric mucosa were examined by the same pathohistologist.And then the pathohistologic changes were analysed.Results All the 2440 children had different mucosal inflammation confirmed by gastroscope,and the pathologic results show that there were 2132 cases of chronic superficial gastritis(90.03%) and 76 cases of chronic atrophic gastritis(3.21%).Among 2440 cases,80 cases with intestinal metaplasia(3.37%),972 cases with lymphoid follicles(41.05%),409 cases with active inflammation(17.28%),902 cases with helicobacter pylori(Hp) infection(38.09%).Moderate and severe inflammatory were more predominant in patients with Hp infection,especially with lymphoid follicles or active gastritis,and the percentage of them were 50.79%,68.73%,73.53%,respectively.Conclusions Major chornic gastritis in children are chronic superficial gastritis,and the pathohistological changes are different from the adults.It also shows that there is a close relationship between gastric mucosal inflammation and Hp.

Objective To investigate the clinical feature of fibercolonscopy in children.Methods Olympus PCF-20 and Olympus(PSD-20) were used for all examinations and treatments after bowel preparation and anesthesia.Pathological change was observed,then took pictures,and biopsy was done.Intestine polyps underwent electrocision.Results Fibercoloscopy was performed on 243 children(male 177,female 66).Age ranged from 1 to 18 years,with an average of 6.74 years.The cecum was reached in 232 of 243 cases.Abnormal findings were seen in 116(47.74%) of the cases.There were large intestine polyps in 87(35.80%) cases.All cases underwent electrocision.One hundred and fifty-seven polyps were removed with satisfactory results.Conclusion Fibercoloscopy is effective and safe in diagnosis and treatment in children with intestine diseases.

Objective To study emptying of gallbladder in children with functional dyspepsia(FD),and to investigate correlation of their helicobacter pylori(Hp) status and gallbladder emptying rate.Methods Sixty children with FD were studied,including 30 Hp-ne-(gative) and 30 Hp-positive children.Thirty Hp-positive children received triple eradication therapy 1 week.After 4 weeks,the Hp tests were taken again,27 children became Hp-negative,and the others were still positive eliminated from the study.The difference between the above groups in gallbladder volumes before breakfast and postprandial gallbladder emptying rate were compared.Results The gallbladder volumes before breakfast were bigger and the emptying rate of postprandial gallbladder of children with FD were lower than those of normal controls(P0.05).Conclusions Delayed emptying of gallbladder may cause FD in children.Hp infection isn′t associated with the gallbladder emptying rate.

Objective To investigate the relationship of folates,vitamin B_(12) with tan phosphorylation and the possible mechanism in Alzhcimer's disease (AD).Method Tau protein phosphorylation was examined in hippocampns of rats of two months old and forty months old treated or untreated by folates and vitamin B_(12) using Western blot and immunohistochemistry with phosphorylation dependent and independent tau antibodies.Results We found that tau phosphorylation in aged rat brain showed a significant higher level than that in the two-month olds.Folates combined with vitamin.B_(12) could decrease tau phosphorylation by 27% at the site of Ser396/404 of hippoeampus in aged rats.Conclusion It suggests folates and vitamin B_(12) may play an important role in preventing the neurodegenerative change via effeeting tau phosphorylation in AD brain.

Objective To assess the safety and efficacy of transcatheter closure of congenital coronary artery fistulas(CAFs).Methods Retrospective analysis was performed on 19 patients mean age of(5.5?4.1) years treated from February 1995 to December 2005 with transcatheter closure of CAFs using transcatheter spring coil embolization,Amplatzer PDA occluder or Amplatzer plug.One case had a residul fistula postoperatively associated with patent duetus arteriosus(PDA).Results The abnormal parameters included mean fistula diameter(3.7?1.6)mm(2.5-8.2 mm),pulmonary mean pressure(28.0?5.0)mmHg(25.0-67.0 mmHg)and pulmonary to systemic shunt(Qp/Qs)1,6?0.8(1.0-2.3).The sites of the fistulas were originated in right coronary artery 11,left anterior descending coronary artery or left circumflex coronary artery 8. Abnormal communication sites of these fistulas were to right ventricle in 14 and right atrium in 5.Various occlusion devices used to close these fistulas included one Giantureo coil in 10,2-4 Gianturco coils in 3, Duct-Occlud in 3,Amplatzer duct occluder in 2 and Amplatzer plug in 1.The post-operative residul fistula with PDA was treated successfully with PDA occlusion.The immediate,one month and one year complete occlusion rates were 55.6%(10/18),88.9%(16/18),100%(18/18),respectively.The coil slipped into the left pulmonary artery in 1 case and correction was obtained by retrieving with forceps.Follow-up studies at 3 months to 4.3 years showed complete abolition of shunt in all patients with no evidence of recanalization leading to recurrences of shunt.Conclusion Transcatheter closure of CAFs is a safe and effective alternative to surgical repair.

OBJECTIVETo assess exercise capacity after percutaneous balloon pulmonary valvuloplasty (PBPV) in children with isolated pulmonary valve stenosis.

METHODSTreadmill exercise testing was performed in 46 children (6.3 +/- 3.1 years, ranging 1 to 12.5 years) with isolated pulmonary valve stenosis post PBPV and in 294 healthy children. Exercise capacity, change in heart rate, blood pressure, and electrocardiogram during exercise were observed.

RESULTSPost PBPV, the transvalvular gradient was below 25 mm Hg (1 mm Hg = 0.133 kPa) in all patients. The mean work capacity in post PBPV children was about 90 percent of that in healthy children. Heart rate and blood pressure response to exercise is comparable to healthy children. Factors associated with exercise capacity include age at operation and the ratio of balloon/pulmonary valve diameter. Exercise-induced uniform ventricular premature contraction in 5 children post PBPV and no ST segment change was observed.

CONCLUSIONExercise capacity post percutaneous balloon pulmonary valvuloplasty in children with isolated pulmonary valve stenosis was comparable to that in healthy children.

Adolescent ; Angioplasty, Balloon ; Blood Pressure ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Electrocardiography ; Exercise Tolerance ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Heart Rate ; Humans ; Infant ; Male ; Pulmonary Valve Stenosis ; physiopathology ; therapy

OBJECTIVEAlthough NuMED Cheatham-Platinum (CP) stent was specifically designed to treat vascular obstructions associated with congenital heart disease (CHD), its application in pediatric patients is relatively uncommon, especially in the pulmonary artery stenosis. The aim of this study was to evaluate the immediate-, early- and intermediate-term results of CP stent implantation in the treatment of vessel stenosis associated with CHD in children and adolescents.

METHODSFrom August 2005 to May 2007, 5 consecutive patients (3 boys and 2 girls) diagnosed as vascular stenosis associated with CHD underwent CP stent implantation in our institution. One patient had native coarctation of the aorta (CoA) and four patients had pulmonary artery stenosis. The median age and weight of patients were 12 years (range 4 - 15 years) and 24 kg (range 20 - 51 kg), respectively. The CP stent and NuMED Balloon-in-Balloon catheter were selected according to digital subtracted angiography measurements. After checking for correct position by angiography, the inner balloon and outer balloon inflated successively to expand the stent to desired diameter.

RESULTSTotally 6 stent placement procedures were performed and 8 CP stents (8-zig, 22 - 39 mm in length) were implanted in these 5 patients. All stents but one in a case of right pulmonary artery stenosis were immediately successfully placed in the target lesions without displacement during the procedures. For this case, a repeat procedure was performed and a second CP stent was reimplanted successfully 11 months later. After the procedure, the systolic pressure gradient across the stenosis decreased from (43.43 +/- 25.61) mm Hg (1 mm Hg = 0.133 kPa) to (3.29 +/- 3.09) mm Hg (t = 4.320, P < 0.01) and the narrowest diameter of the stenotic vessels increased from (6.86 +/- 2.04) mm to (13.44 +/- 4.02) mm (t = -4.508, P < 0.01). The percentage of pulmonary artery flow to the ipsilateral lung increased from 11.0% and 13.0% to 47.5% and 52.2% after the procedure in 2 cases of unilateral pulmonary artery branch stenosis, respectively. The ratio of right ventricular to aortic systolic pressure decreased from 62.3% and 72.2% to 27.0% and 33.3% in 2 cases of bilateral branch pulmonary artery stenosis, respectively. Upper limb blood pressure of one case of native CoA dropped greatly from 206/133 mm Hg to 156/95 mm Hg. During a median follow-up of 20 months (range 13 - 34 months), the results have been stable without complications except 2 stents which developed intrastent restenosis 6 months after the procedure.

CONCLUSIONOur experience suggests that the CP stent implantation is safe and feasible for the treatment of vessel stenosis associated with CHD in children and adolescents. The immediate-, early- and interim results are encouraging, but long-term results remain to be further evaluated and demand many more cases to be studied.

Adolescent ; Aortic Coarctation ; therapy ; Cardiac Catheterization ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Constriction, Pathologic ; Female ; Heart Defects, Congenital ; complications ; therapy ; Humans ; Male ; Platinum ; Pulmonary Valve Stenosis ; complications ; therapy ; Stents ; Treatment Outcome

OBJECTIVEPerimembranous ventricular septal defects (PMVSDs) is the most common type of congenital ventricular septal defects (VSD), which accounts for 70% approximately 80% of VSD. The structure of PMVSDs is very complex, it is close to tricuspid valve, mitral valve and aortic valve. The atrioventricular (AV) node is located in the posterior upper membranous ventricular septum and branches into left and right bundle in the posterior lower margin. This increases the risk of transcatheter closure of PMVSDs. Arrhythmias is the common complication after transcatheter closure of PMVSDs. The present study aimed to identify the risk factors resulting in arrhythmias after transcatheter closure of PMVSDs in patients under 18 years of age to decrease the incidence of arrhythmias after the interventional catheterization.

METHODSA retrospective analysis was performed on the patients treated with transcatheter intervention from June 2002 to June 2004. Transcatheter closure of PMVSDs with Amplatzer membranous septal occluder and a domestic product was performed in 89 cases after obtaining consent themselves and/or their guardian or parents, 47 cases were males and 42 females. The age of the cases ranged from 3 to 18 years (mean 8.2 years) and the body weight ranged from 13 to 55 kg (mean 26.7 kg). They were all diagnosed as having PMVSDs with trans-thoracic echocardiography (TTE) before the interventional catheterization, the electrocardiographic (ECG) and chest X-ray (CXR) findings were recorded. A simultaneous care ECG and TTE were performed during operation in order to identify the effect of the transcatheter closure, the heart structure and functional changes and whether or not arrhythmias occurred, respectively. In 80 cases AGA Amplatzer membranous septal occluder was used and in 9 cases a domestic product was used. Follow-up was performed based on the echocardiography and ECG.

RESULTSThe devices were successfully implanted in 89 cases; 11 cases (12%) developed various block of heart conduction within 5 days, which included first degree AV block in 1 patient, third degree AV block in 1, left anterior bundle branch block in 5, partial right bundle branch block in 4, complete right bundle branch block in 3, and 3 patients had two kinds of heart block. Eight patients were treated with corticosteroids, 6 of them recovered within 14 days, 1 patient within 1 month and in 1 case the problem shifted from first degree block and left anterior bundle branch block to left anterior bundle branch block 5 days later and that persisted for 6 months. It was found that the distance from upper margin of defects to the aortic valve < 3 mm, the diameter of ventricular septal defect > or = 8 mm, the diameter of device > or = 10 mm, blood pH < 7.35 and arteriovenous track building time after the success of the Seldinger technique > or = 60 min were independent predictors of post-closure arrhythmias.

CONCLUSIONArrhythmias remain the severe early complications after interventional catheterization for PMVSDs in patients under 18 years of age. Shortening of operation time, prevention of acidosis and strict selection of indications may be the most effective measures to prevent arrhythmias after transcatheter closure of PMVSDs in patients under 18 years of age.

Adolescent ; Cardiac Catheterization ; adverse effects ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Female ; Heart Block ; etiology ; Heart Septal Defects, Ventricular ; therapy ; Humans ; Male ; Retrospective Studies ; Risk Factors

BACKGROUNDFamilial pulmonary arterial hypertension (FPAH) is an autosomal dominant disorder characterized by plexiform lesions of endothelial cells in pulmonary arterioles which leads to elevated pulmonary arterial pressure, right-sided heart failure and death. Heterozygous mutations in the bone morphogenetic protein type II receptor gene (BMPR2) have been found to underlie a majority of FPAH cases. More than 140 distinct mutations have been identified in FPAH cases and in idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension (IPAH) cases, but only one mutation has been reported in Chinese patients.

METHODSA three-generation pedigree of FPAH and another 10 patients with IPAH were collected. In the family, two of the 9 surviving and one deceased family member were diagnosed as FPAH. The entire protein-coding region and intron/exon boundaries of the BMPR2 gene were amplified by PCR using DNA samples from affected individuals. Direct sequencing of PCR products was performed on both the sense and antisense strands. To confirm the segregation of the mutation within the family and exclude the presence of the mutation in normal subjects, the relevant exon was amplified by PCR, followed by mutation-specific RPLP analysis.

RESULTSIn the Chinese pedigree with FPAH an A-to-T transition at position 1157 in exon 9 of the BMPR2 gene was identified which resulted in a Glu386Val mutation. We confirmed the segregation of the mutation within the family and excluded the presence of the mutation in a panel of 200 chromosomes from normal subjects. No mutation was detected in BMPR2 in the other 10 patients with IPAH.

CONCLUSIONSThis amino acid substitution occurs at a glutamic acid that is highly conserved in all type II TGF-beta receptors. The nearly invariant Glu forms an ion pair with an invariant Arg at position 491 thereby helping to stabilize the large lobe. Substitution of Arg at position 491 is the most frequently observed missense mutation in FPAH, but until now no mutations at position 386 have been found in FPAH. The predicted functional impact of the Glu386Val mutation and its absence in healthy controls support the mutation as the cause of FPAH.

Adolescent ; Amino Acid Sequence ; Bone Morphogenetic Protein Receptors, Type II ; genetics ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Female ; Humans ; Hypertension, Pulmonary ; genetics ; Infant ; Male ; Molecular Sequence Data ; Mutation ; Pedigree