OBJECTIVETo understand the trend of incidence of omphalocele and its epidemiological characteristics in China during 1996 to 2000.

METHODSSurveillance data of omphalocele were collected from 460 hospitals at county level or above county level, involving all births with 28-week gestation to 7 days after delivery, including live births, fetal deaths and stillbirths in 31 provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities all over the country during 1996 to 2000.

RESULTSOverall incidence of omphalocele in China was 1.52 per 10 000 live births, with an increasing trend during 1996 to 2000. Incidence of omphalocele was 1.40 per 10 000 and 1.83 per 10 000 in the rural and urban areas, respectively, with a statistically significant difference (P < 0.05), and 1.54 per 10 000 and 1.41 per 10 000 in boys and girls, respectively. Babies of omphalocele associated with other malformation accounted for 30.77% of the total cases. Perinatal fatality rate of omphalocele was 51.18%, with prenatal diagnostic rate of 31.07%.

CONCLUSIONSPrevalence of omphalocele appeared an increasing trend in China during the period from 1996 to 2000. Occurrence of omphalocele was more frequent in rural areas than that in urban areas. Perinatal fatality rate in babies with omphalocele was higher and fatality of associated omphalocele was higher than that of simple one. It is suggested that management of perinatal care and level of prenatal diagnosis for omphalocele should be improved.

China ; epidemiology ; Female ; Hernia, Umbilical ; epidemiology ; Humans ; Incidence ; Infant, Newborn ; Male ; Rural Health

OBJECTIVETo study the epidemiological characteristics of congenital hydrocephalus in Chinese perinatal.

METHODSFrom 1996 to 2004, data gained from Chinese Birth Defects Monitoring Network were used to depict the epidemiology of congenital hydrocephalus in China. All perinatal born in hospitals had an access within 7 days after delivery. The affected cases were divided into two groups-isolated and syndromic hydrocephalus. And prevalence rates were calculated by year, by sex, by birth area (urban versus rural), by maternal age group and by geographic area (north versus south). Of the affected, fetal age at birth, birth weight, perinatal outcome and prenatal diagnosis were analysed.

RESULTSAll 3012 perinatal with congenital hydrocephalus were identified among 4,282,536 births, then an overall prevalence rate was 7.03/10,000, rates of isolated and syndromic hydrocephalus were 5.67/10,000 and 1.36/10,000 respectively. Furthermore, the annual prevalence rates of hydrocephalus presented an increasing trend during that period. The rates in male and female births, in urban and rural area, were 7.09/10,000 and 6.76/10,000, 5.49/10,000 and 10.10/10,000 respectively. There were significant differences among maternal-age-specific prevalence rates, the highest (11.42/10,000) was in an age < 20 years group. For total and isolated hydrocephalus, higher rates were found in north part of China. On the contrary, a higher rate of syndromic hydrocephalus was observed in south part of China. Among the infants with hydrocephalus, the ratio of preterm delivery and of low birth weight were 57.97% and 50.92% respectively. The ratio of congenital hydrocephalus diagnosed antenatally, which could be an indicator representing the capability of detecting the malformation both prenatally and postnatally, showed an upward trend similar to the prevalence rates. The perinatal fatality rates of the total, isolated and syndromic hydrocephalus were 87.75%, 88.66% and 83.91% correspondingly.

CONCLUSIONBased on comparison between prevalence rates in China and those reported in foreign countries, our country might be listed into a higher epidemic region of the congenital hydrocephalus. Significant differences were identified between rural and urban areas, between north and south parts of China. The improvement ability in prenatal and postnatal diagnosis should be partly accounted for the increasing prevalence rates of hydrocephalus in Chinese perinatal. The poor birth quality of the affected predicts poor prognosis.

China ; epidemiology ; Congenital Abnormalities ; epidemiology ; Female ; Fetal Death ; Humans ; Hydrocephalus ; epidemiology ; Infant, Newborn ; Male ; Pregnancy ; Pregnancy Trimester, Second ; Pregnancy Trimester, Third ; Prevalence ; Rural Population ; Urban Population

Objective To provide technical support for market supervision of TCM decoction pieces in Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei districts; To facilitate the medical treatment of people in the three districts. Methods A comparative study and analysis on processing procedures of TCM decoction pieces in Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei districts was conducted. Results There were some differences in TCM decoction pieces in Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei districts. The quality of TCM decoction pieces is easy to be contradictory according to different standards. Conclusion It is badly in need of a unified standard for the preparation of TCM decoction pieces.

Objective To investigate the incidence and its secular trends of gastroschisis in Chinese perinatal infants.Methods Data on perinatal infants was collected at hospitals under surveillance program in Chinese Birth Defects Monitoring Network from 1996 to 2007.Data on incidence,trend and related factors of gastroschisis in perinatal infants were carried out.Both x2 test and Poisson regression model were used to test the differences between residential areas,sex and maternal age.Both x2 trends test and Poisson regression model were applied to analyze the trends.Results A total of 6 308 594 perinatal infants were monitored during 1996-2007,including 1601 infants with gastroschisis to show the incidence as 2.54 per 10 000 births.The overall prevalence of gastroschisis in China did not change remarkably during the period of our research.The incidence rates of gastroschisis were significantly different between urban and rural areas,between different sex and different maternal age groups.The incidence of gastroschisis was lower in urban area than in rural area (RR=0.58) and lower in female fetuses than in male fetuses (RR=0.76),highest in the group younger than 20 years of age,which was 11.43 times than incidence of the 30-34 age group (RR=11.432).Conclusion The overall prevalence of gastroschisis in China did not show remarkable change during 1996-2007 but the incidence of gastroschisis a bit increased in the area of study and significant differences were seen in different sex,regions and maternal age groups.Mothers aged younger than 20 years old appeared to be a significant risk factor for the occurrence of gastroschisis.

OBJECTIVETo describe the epidemiological features of cleft lip with or without cleft palate (CL +/- P) in Chinese perinatals.

METHODSFrom 1996 through 2000, hospital-based cluster sampling method was adopted for collecting data. During that period all live or still births with 28 weeks of gestation or more delivered in monitoring hospitals were assessed within 7 days after birth.

RESULTSThe birth prevalence rates of cleft lip (CL) and of cleft lip with cleft palate (CLP) were 5.03/10,000, 8.97/10,000 respectively, then the rate of CL +/- P was 14.0/10,000. The prevalence rates in urban and rural area, in male and female births were 13.28/10,000 and 15.57/10,000, 16.06/10,000 and 11.40/10,000 respectively. Significant difference was found among maternal-age-specific prevalence rates, and the highest one was observed in >or= 35 maternal age group. 87.25% of CL +/- P was isolated forms. No secular trend was found during that period. The perinatal fatality rate of CL +/- P was 19.04%, and the rate in isolated forms was 12.69%, but the rate in syndromic CL +/- P was as high as 62.60%.

CONCLUSIONSNo decline trend in prevalence rate of CL +/- P was observed during 1996 approximately 2000. Compared with prevalence rates of CL +/- P in some foreign countries, it was higher in China during same period.

Adult ; China ; epidemiology ; Cleft Lip ; epidemiology ; Cleft Palate ; epidemiology ; Female ; Humans ; Incidence ; Male ; Maternal Age ; Pregnancy ; Time Factors

Objective To establish a quick,economical and reproducible method for high-quality RNA extraction from pancreas.Methods We utilized TRIzol Reagent and liquid nitrogen to isolate total RNA from the rat pancreas.The RNA quality was determined by detection of its content and optic density(A) at 260/280nm,and electrophoresis in 1% non-denatured agarose gel.Then reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction(RT-PCR) was performed to detect expression of the pancreas-specific genes.Results The content of the total RNA extracted from the rat pancreas reached 3-6?g/mg pancreatic tissues,and A260/280 ratio was 1.75-1.89.Electrophoresis of the total RNA showed 28S and 18S rRNA bands with clear smear between them.The RT-PCR products of pancreas-specific genes including insulin 1,glucagon,?-amylase and housekeeping gene ?-actin all exhibited clear bands on 1% agarose gel,which were located in the expected positions,respectively.Conclusion These results suggest that we have successfully isolated the high-quality and intact RNA from the rat pancreas with TRIzol Reagent and liquid nitrogen.The extracted total RNA can be used in RT-PCR for pancreatic gene expression.

OBJECTIVETo investigate the distribution characteristics of the single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the promoter region of the toll-like receptor 9 gene (TLR9) in Chinese Han children from Zhejiang province, and their associations with asthma susceptibility and phenotypes.

METHODSA case-control study was conducted. A total of 312 asthmatic children aged between 1.9 and 11.6 and 339 age matched healthy controls were enrolled in this study from April 2007 to November 2008. The -1486 C/T in rs187084 and -1237 C/T in rs5743836 loci of the TLR9 gene were genotyped by direct DNA sequencing of the PCR products. Serum levels of IFN gamma, IL-12 and IL-4 were detected by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay.Serum levels of total IgE were detected by chemiluminescence, and serum levels of antigen specific IgE antibodies were detected by fluoroenzymeimmunoassay.

RESULTS(1) The -1486 C/T polymorphism was identified in both groups. The genotype frequencies of TT, TC and CC at -1486 C/T were 41.0%, 44.3%, 14.7% in the healthy controls, and 38.8%, 48.4%, 12.8% in the asthmatic children. The -1237 C/T polymorphism was not detected in the population. (2) There were no statistically significant differences in the allele and genotype frequencies at the -1486 C/T locus between the two groups (P;>0.05). (3) Serum levels of IFN gamma and IL-4 differed significantly among the three genotypes at the -1486 C/T locus in asthmatic children (P<0.01). The CC genotype had the lowest levels of serum IFN gamma and the highest levels of serum IL-4 among the three genotypes. There were no significant differences in these cytokines among the healthy controls (P>0.05). No statistical differences of serum IL-12 were found among the three genotypes in the two groups (P>0.05). (4) There were no significant differences of total IgE (log-transformed) among the three genotypes in the asthmatic children (P>0.05).

CONCLUSIONThe -1237 C/T polymorphism of TLR9 gene was not detected in Chinese Han children in this study. The -1486 C/T polymorphism was associated with the levels of serum IFN gamma and IL-4 in children with asthma. However, there were no correlations between the -1486C/T polymorphism and serum IL-12 levels, total IgE levels or asthmatic susceptibility.

Asthma ; blood ; genetics ; Case-Control Studies ; Child ; China ; Female ; Genetic Predisposition to Disease ; Humans ; Male ; Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide ; Promoter Regions, Genetic ; Toll-Like Receptor 9 ; genetics

OBJECTIVETo study the trend of under 5 years old children mortality and the leading cause of the deaths in China from 1996 to 2000.

METHODSThe data presented in this report were obtained from the national child mortality surveillance network, including 116 counties (cities) throughout China. The target population was all children under 5 years old in the monitored areas whose mothers or fathers had resided in the area for at least one year. The data were collected and reported by health workers at the three-level network.

RESULTSThe neonatal mortality rate (NMR), infant mortality rate (IMR) and under 5 years old mortality rate (U(5)MR) in China dropped to 22.8, 32.2, 39.7 per 1,000 live births in 2000, respectively (they were 24.0, 36.0, 45.0 respectively in 1996), which declined 5.0%, 10.6%, 11.8% from 1996 to 2000, respectively. In urban areas, NMR, IMR and U(5)MR dropped to 9.5, 11.8, 13.8 per 1,000 live births in 2000, respectively (they were 12.2, 14.8, 16.9 respectively in 1996), which declined 22.1%, 20.3%, 18.3% from 1996 to 2000, respectively. In rural areas, NMR, IMR and U(5)MR dropped to 25.8, 37.0, 45.7 per 1,000 live births in 2000, respectively (they were 26.7, 40.9, 51.4 respectively in 1996), which declined 3.4%, 9.5%, 11.1% from 1996 to 2000, respectively. There was a steady decline in the U(5)MR due to diarrhea, pneumonia, neural tube defects and drowning in China.

CONCLUSIONIn urban/rural areas, the overall decline in NMR, IMR and U(5)MR from 1996 to 2000 was spectacular. Especially the U(5)MR due to avoidable deaths such as pneumonia and diarrhea was dropped markedly in rural areas.

Cause of Death ; trends ; Child Mortality ; trends ; Child, Preschool ; China ; epidemiology ; Fetal Death ; Humans ; Infant ; Infant Mortality ; trends ; Infant, Newborn ; Rural Population ; statistics & numerical data ; Urban Population ; statistics & numerical data

OBJECTIVETo examine the time trends of perinatal mortality and the frequency of birth defects occurring in perinatal deaths, and to provide a national perspective on the impacts of congenital anomalies on perinatal mortality from 1990 through 2001.

METHODSData were from Chinese Birth Defects Monitoring network-a hospital-based congenital anomalies registry system. During 1990 - 2001, all live or still births with 28 weeks of gestation or more, born in monitoring units, were studied within 7 days after delivery. The proportion of perinatal deaths due to birth defects, which was defined as the number of perinatal deaths associated with congenital anomalies per 100 perinatal deaths, was calculated by birth area (urban versus rural), geographic-economic status (coast areas, inner land areas and remote areas), to evaluate the impacts of birth defects on perinatal mortality.

RESULTSPerinatal mortality declined from 22.85 per 1000 in 1990 to 13.26 per 1000 in 2001, which showed a significant downward trend. Similar trend was also observed in the rate of stillbirth and the ratio of early neonatal death. However, the proportion of perinatal deaths due to birth defects had an increasing trend although the perinatal birth defects-specific death rate was declining, especially during 1996 - 2001. This result was also seen in urban and rural area, in coast regions, in inner land regions and in remote regions of China. Higher rate of birth defects occurring in perinatal deaths was observed in urban area than in rural area. Significant difference of this rate was also found among different geographic-economic regions, with the highest one in inland regions.

CONCLUSIONBirth defects were accounted for an increasing proportion of perinatal deaths in China, and had become one of the major causes of perinatal deaths.

China ; epidemiology ; Congenital Abnormalities ; classification ; epidemiology ; Female ; Humans ; Infant Mortality ; trends ; Infant, Newborn ; Pregnancy ; Risk Factors ; Time Factors

OBJECTIVETo study the epidemiological features of transverse cleft and its multiple congenital anomaly (MCA) patterns in China.

METHODSFrom 1987 through 1992, hospital-based cluster sampling method was adopted for collecting data. During that period all live or stillbirths with 28 weeks of gestation or more were assessed within 7 days after delivery.

RESULTS94 cases of transverse facial cleft were identified among 4,489,692 births, so the prevalence rate of transverse facial cleft at birth was 0.21/10(4). The prevalence rates in urban areas and in rural areas were 0.20/10(4) and 0.23/10(4), respectively. And the rates in male and female births were both 0.21/10(4). 69 cases occurred with other malformations, among which the anomalies of ear were the most frequent association (53.6%). The perinatal fatality rate was 46.9%, a significant difference of fatality rate was found between isolated forms (16.0%) and associated forms of transverse facial cleft (58.0%).

CONCLUSIONSThe prevalence rate of transverse facial cleft in China is more than the estimated rate. No significant differences are found between urban and rural areas, and between male and female births. Most of transverse facial clefts are associated forms, often as one feature of other syndromes.

China ; epidemiology ; Female ; Humans ; Incidence ; Infant, Newborn ; Male ; Maxillofacial Abnormalities ; epidemiology ; Pregnancy