ObjectiveTo explore effect of Xianlian Jiedu prescription on the recurrence of colorectal cancer （CRC） and investigate the related mechanisms. MethodsA postoperative recurrence model was established in 25 Balb/c mice by injecting CT26 cells subcutaneously into the armpit， followed by surgical removal of 99% of the subcutaneous tumor. The mice were randomly divided into model group， low-dose Xianlian Jiedu prescription （XLJDP-L） group （6.45 g·kg^-1·d^-1）， medium-dose Xianlian Jiedu prescription （XLJDP-M） group （12.9 g·kg^-1·d^-1）， high-dose Xianlian Jiedu prescription （XLJDP-H） group （25.8 g·kg^-1·d^-1）， and 5-fluorouracil （5-FU） group （1×10^-3 g·kg^-1·d^-1）. The mice were euthanized after 14 days of continuous intervention， and recurrent tumor tissue was harvested. Hematoxylin and eosin （HE） staining was used to observe pathological and morphological changes in the recurrent tumor tissue. Immunohistochemistry （IHC） was employed to assess the expression of proliferating cell nuclear antigen （Ki67）， vascular endothelial growth factor （VEGF）， and platelet-endothelial cell adhesion molecule （CD31） in recurrent tumor tissue. The Western blot was used to detect the protein expression levels of angiopoietin-2 （ANG-2）， VEGF， phosphorylated-protein kinase B （p-Akt）， protein kinase B （Akt）， phosphorylated-phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase （p-PI3K）， and phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase （PI3K） in recurrent tumor tissue. ResultsBefore treatment， there were no statistical differences in tumor volume， tumor weight， and body mass among the XLJDP-L， XLJDP-M， and XLJDP-H groups and the 5-FU group compared to the model group， indicating model stability. After treatment， compared with those in the model group， the tumor volume and tumor weight in the XLJDP-L， XLJDP-M， and XLJDP-H groups and the 5-FU group were significantly reduced （P<0.01）， showing dose dependency. Meanwhile， there were no significant differences in body weight among the XLJDP-L， XLJDP-M， and XLJDP-H groups and the 5-FU group compared to the model group. HE staining showed that compared with that in the model group， tumor tissue in the XLJDP-L， XLJDP-M， and XLJDP-H groups and the 5-FU group had loosely arranged cells， increased intercellular spaces， small and shriveled nuclei， light staining， fewer mitotic figures and atypical nuclei， and increased necrotic areas. IHC showed that compared with those of the model group， the positive rates of Ki67， VEGF， and CD31 in the recurrent tumor tissue of the XLJDP-L， XLJDP-M， and XLJDP-H groups and the 5-FU group were significantly reduced （P<0.01） in a dose-dependent manner. Western blot results showed that compared with those of the model group， the protein expression levels of ANG-2 and VEGF in the recurrent tumor tissue of the XLJDP-L， XLJDP-M， and XLJDP-H groups and the 5-FU group were significantly downregulated （P<0.05， P<0.01）， and the p-Akt/Akt and p-PI3K/PI3K ratios were significantly decreased in a dose-dependent manner （P<0.05， P<0.01）. ConclusionXianlian Jiedu prescription significantly inhibits the recurrence of CRC in mice after subcutaneous tumor surgery. The mechanism may involve regulating the PI3K/Akt pathway and downregulating key angiogenic proteins such as ANG-2， VEGF， and CD31.

ObjectiveTo observe and analyze the plasma metabolite differences among colorectal cancer patients with spleen-qi deficiency， damp-heat stasis-toxin syndrome（SRYD）， non-spleen-qi deficiency， damp-heat stasis-toxin syndrome（non-SRYD）， and normal human beings（Normal）， aiming to identify unique metabolites specific to SRYD colorectal cancer patients and their potential biomarkers. MethodsBased on the diagnostic criteria of SRYD and non-SRYD colorectal cancer， 30 patients were included， including 10 patients with SRYD colorectal cancer and 20 patients with non-SRYD colorectal cancer， while 10 individuals were recruited for the Normal group. Metabolome sequencing of plasma from the three groups was performed by ultra-performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole-electrostatic field orbitrap mass spectrometry（UPLC-Q-Exactive-Orbitrap-MS）. Multivariate statistical analysis were performed by principal component analysis（PCA） and partial least squares-discriminant analysis（PLS-DA）， and the intergroup differential metabolites were identified based on variable importance in the projection（VIP） value>1 and t-test P<0.05. And pathway enrichment analysis based on Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes（KEGG） was performed to explore the metabolites and metabolic pathways specific to SRYD colorectal cancer patients. ResultsMetabolome sequencing results showed some differences in metabolic profiles between the groups. A total of 111 plasma differential metabolites were found in the SRYD group and the Normal group， of which 31 were up-regulated and 80 were down-regulated， mainly including stearoyl lysophosphatidylcholine， indole-3-acrylic acid， and dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate（P<0.05）. The non-SRYD group exhibited 97 differentially expressed metabolites compared to the Normal group， with 36 up-regulated and 61 down-regulated， mainly including stearoyl lysophosphatidylcholine， sphingosine， and palmitoyl lysophosphatidylcholine（P<0.05）. And the SRYD group exhibited 19 differentially expressed metabolites compared to the non-SRYD group， of which 5 were up-regulated and 14 were down-regulated， mainly including dihydrosphingosine， palmitic acid， and linoleoylethanolamide（P<0.05）. The significant differential metabolites were subjected to KEGG analysis to obtain significantly enriched metabolic pathways in each group， and the results showed that 11 metabolic pathways such as primary bile acid synthesis， cholesterol metabolism and bile secretion were differential signaling pathways specific to SRYD colorectal cancer. Further retrieval of the above key signaling pathways showed that bile acids were up-regulated in both bile secretion and primary bile acid synthesis pathways， and there was a trend of up-regulation of glycochenodeoxycholic acid， taurochenodeoxycholic acid， and chenodeoxycholic acid. ConclusionPrimary bile acid synthesis， cholesterol metabolism， and bile secretion-related pathways may be differential signaling pathways specific to SRYD colorectal cancer， and bile acid is a core molecule in the metabolic pathway， which can serve as potential biomarkers closely related to the development and progression of SRYD colorectal cancer.

ObjectiveTo observe and analyze the plasma metabolite differences among colorectal cancer patients with spleen-qi deficiency， damp-heat stasis-toxin syndrome（SRYD）， non-spleen-qi deficiency， damp-heat stasis-toxin syndrome（non-SRYD）， and normal human beings（Normal）， aiming to identify unique metabolites specific to SRYD colorectal cancer patients and their potential biomarkers. MethodsBased on the diagnostic criteria of SRYD and non-SRYD colorectal cancer， 30 patients were included， including 10 patients with SRYD colorectal cancer and 20 patients with non-SRYD colorectal cancer， while 10 individuals were recruited for the Normal group. Metabolome sequencing of plasma from the three groups was performed by ultra-performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole-electrostatic field orbitrap mass spectrometry（UPLC-Q-Exactive-Orbitrap-MS）. Multivariate statistical analysis were performed by principal component analysis（PCA） and partial least squares-discriminant analysis（PLS-DA）， and the intergroup differential metabolites were identified based on variable importance in the projection（VIP） value>1 and t-test P<0.05. And pathway enrichment analysis based on Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes（KEGG） was performed to explore the metabolites and metabolic pathways specific to SRYD colorectal cancer patients. ResultsMetabolome sequencing results showed some differences in metabolic profiles between the groups. A total of 111 plasma differential metabolites were found in the SRYD group and the Normal group， of which 31 were up-regulated and 80 were down-regulated， mainly including stearoyl lysophosphatidylcholine， indole-3-acrylic acid， and dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate（P<0.05）. The non-SRYD group exhibited 97 differentially expressed metabolites compared to the Normal group， with 36 up-regulated and 61 down-regulated， mainly including stearoyl lysophosphatidylcholine， sphingosine， and palmitoyl lysophosphatidylcholine（P<0.05）. And the SRYD group exhibited 19 differentially expressed metabolites compared to the non-SRYD group， of which 5 were up-regulated and 14 were down-regulated， mainly including dihydrosphingosine， palmitic acid， and linoleoylethanolamide（P<0.05）. The significant differential metabolites were subjected to KEGG analysis to obtain significantly enriched metabolic pathways in each group， and the results showed that 11 metabolic pathways such as primary bile acid synthesis， cholesterol metabolism and bile secretion were differential signaling pathways specific to SRYD colorectal cancer. Further retrieval of the above key signaling pathways showed that bile acids were up-regulated in both bile secretion and primary bile acid synthesis pathways， and there was a trend of up-regulation of glycochenodeoxycholic acid， taurochenodeoxycholic acid， and chenodeoxycholic acid. ConclusionPrimary bile acid synthesis， cholesterol metabolism， and bile secretion-related pathways may be differential signaling pathways specific to SRYD colorectal cancer， and bile acid is a core molecule in the metabolic pathway， which can serve as potential biomarkers closely related to the development and progression of SRYD colorectal cancer.

ObjectiveTo explore the biological foundation of colorectal adenoma in damp-heat accumulation syndrome and the possible anti-tumor mechanism of Shenbai Jiedu prescription. MethodEight patients with colorectal adenoma in damp-heat accumulation syndrome， 11 patients with non-damp-heat accumulation syndrome， and 10 patients with colorectal cancer recruited by Jiangsu Provincial Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine from February 2019 to December 2020 meeting the inclusion criteria were clinically obtained， and the tissue of the three groups of patients was subjected to transcriptome sequencing to screen for the differentially expressed genes between the syndrome and the diseases. The intersection of the differentially expressed genes between the syndrome and the disease was taken for further screening of the differentially expressed genes sequentially increasing or sequentially decreasing in patients with non-damp-heat accumulation syndrome， damp-heat accumulation syndrome， and colorectal cancer， and functional enrichment analysis and signaling pathway enrichment analysis were carried out. Real-time polymerase chain reaction （Real-time PCR） was used to detect the effect of Shenbai Jiedu prescription on the expression of the above key differential genes. ResultBy comparing the damp-heat accumulation syndrome and non-damp-heat accumulation syndrome， a total of 384 differentially expressed genes were screened， of which 203 were up-regulated genes， and 181 were down-regulated genes. By comparing the colorectal adenoma of colorectal cancer and damp-heat accumulation syndrome， a total of 2 965 differentially expressed genes were screened， of which 2 460 were up-regulated genes， and 505 were down-regulated genes. The intersection of differentially expressed genes of the two groups was taken， and a total of 58 differentially expressed genes with the same changes were screened. The gene ontology functions were mainly enriched in UDP-galactose： β-N-acetylglucosamine beta-1，3-galactosyltransferase activity， N-acetyllactosaminide beta-1，3-N-acetylglucosaminyltransferase activity， and poly-N-acetyllactosamine biosynthetic process. Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes （KEGG） signaling pathways were mainly enriched in glycosphingolipid biosynthesis-globo and isoglobo series， glycosphingolipid biosynthesis-lacto and neolacto series， and IL-17 signaling pathway. Shenbai Jiedu prescription significantly inhibited the expression of key genes involved in the enrichment， such as FOSB and B3GALT5， in a dose-dependent manner （P<0.05）. ConclusionGlycolipid metabolism may be the biological foundation of colorectal adenoma in damp-heat accumulation syndrome， and Shenbai Jiedu prescription may inhibit colorectal adenoma carcinogenesis by down-regulating the expression of FOSB and B3GALT5.

ObjectiveTo observe the effects of Shenbai Jiedu prescription on fecal metabolomics and intestinal flora diversity distribution in patients with colorectal adenoma and explore its potential targets. MethodA total of 21 patients diagnosed with colorectal adenoma were enrolled in this study. Following a four-week administration of Shenbai Jiedu prescription， their clinical symptoms were observed， and fecal samples of patients before and after treatment were collected. Untargeted metabolomics and metagenomic analysis based on liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry （LC-MS） were employed to investigate the possible metabolic pathway of Shenbai Jiedu prescription and its influence on the distribution of intestinal flora in patients. ResultThe total scores of traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） syndromes of patients after drug administration decreased significantly （P<0.01）. The results of untargeted metabolomics showed that the distribution of metabolites exhibited aggregation before and after drug administration， and a total of 106 differential metabolites were screened out （P<0.05）. The Kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes （KEGG） enrichment analysis revealed that arginine-proline metabolism， ferroptosis， glycine， and serine and threonine metabolism were significantly enriched metabolic pathways （P<0.05）. Notably， L-4-hydroxyglutamate semialdehyde， glutathione， isopentenyl pyrophosphate， creatinine， 4-acetamido-2-aminobutanoic acid， and guanidoacetic acid were found to be involved in these aforementioned metabolic pathways. Furthermore， the association between these metabolites and different intestinal flora was analyzed， and the results showed that Shenbai Jiedu prescription could interfere with metabolic pathways such as amino acid and ferroptosis in patients with colorectal adenoma by regulating intestinal flora such as Lachnoclostridium， Eggerthella， and Dialister （P<0.05）. ConclusionShenbai Jiedu prescription may improve the clinical symptoms of patients by increasing the abundance of intestinal beneficial bacteria， reducing the abundance of harmful bacteria， and regulating metabolic pathways such as amino acid and ferroptosis in patients with colorectal adenoma. This study may provide some research ideas and directions for Shenbai Jiedu prescription to interfere with colorectal adenoma recurrence and carcinogenesis.

Colorectal adenoma is a benign tumor originating from the mucosal glandular epithelium of the colorectum and belongs to the category of intraepithelial neoplasia. Its etiology and pathogenesis are not completely clear， and some patients have genetic factors. In recent years， with the improvement in living standards， the incidence of colorectal adenoma has gradually increased due to high-fat diets， intestinal flora disorder， and emotional disturbance. As one of the precancerous lesions of colorectal cancer， colorectal adenoma is increasingly threatening human health. Surgical resection is the most direct and effective method for the treatment of colorectal adenoma， but some patients with colorectal adenoma have the possibility of recurrence after resection. At present， there is still a lack of effective prevention and treatment measures for the recurrence of colorectal adenoma. Traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） plays a unique advantage in improving the clinical symptoms of patients with colorectal adenoma and preventing postoperative recurrence and carcinogenesis. Therefore， this review summarized the clinical research and mechanism of TCM compounds in the prevention and treatment of colorectal adenoma in recent years. The clinical study on the prevention and treatment of colorectal adenoma by TCM compounds can be divided into internal treatment， external treatment， and internal and external combined treatment. The internal treatment mainly focuses on strengthening the spleen， and the external treatment includes retention enema， acupoint application， and other methods. The internal and external combined treatment is mainly based on the internal administration of TCM compounds combined with acupuncture， retention enema， and acupoint stimulation. The study on the mechanism of TCM compounds in preventing and treating colorectal adenoma was mainly explored from the aspects of regulating intestinal flora， regulating cell proliferation immune function， and achieving anti-inflammation. This review summarized the research progress of TCM compounds in the prevention and treatment of colorectal adenoma in recent years and provided a reference for future treatment with TCM.

Objective:To investigate the effectiveness of the modified Bikini approach in the fixation of acetabular fracture with an integrated wing-shaped anatomical locking plate.Methods:A retrospective study was conducted to analyze the data of 54 patients with acetabular fracture who had been treated at Department of Trauma Orthopedics, Orthopedic Medical Center, The Third Hospital Affiliated to Southern Medical University from May 2017 to June 2021. The patients were divided into 2 groups based on different surgical approaches: an observation group [26 cases, 6 males, 20 females; aged 40.0 (29.8, 46.8) years] treated with fixation with an integrated wing-shaped anatomical locking plate through the modified Bikini approach, and a control group [28 cases, 10 males, 18 females; aged 34.5 (24.0, 43.5) years] treated with fixation with an integrated wing-shaped anatomical locking plate through the lateral-rectus approach. The incision length, operation time, intraoperative bleeding, length of hospital stay, quality of postoperative fracture reduction, visual analog scale (VAS) for pain, hip function, Vancouver Scar Scale (VSS) and Patient and Observer Scar Assessment Scale (POSAS) were compared between the 2 groups.Results:The differences in the preoperative general data between the 2 groups were not statistically significant, indicating comparability ( P>0.05). There were no statistically significant differences between the 2 groups either in terms of incision length, operation time, intraoperative bleeding, or hospital stay ( P>0.05). The 2 groups were not significantly different in the excellent/good rate of fracture reduction [100.0% (26/26) versus 92.9% (26/28)], VAS at 1 month postoperation [2.0(1.0, 3.0) versus 2.0(1.0, 3.0)], or the modified Merle d'Aubigné and Postel hip score at 12 months postoperation [13.5(12.3, 14.8) versus. 14.0(13.0, 15.0)] ( P>0.05). However, the VSS [4.50(4.00, 6.00)] and POSAS (29.85±10.05) at 12 months postoperation in the observation group were significantly lower than those in the control group [6.50(5.00, 8.25) and 37.11±11.75] ( P<0.05). Conclusion:In the fixation of acetabular fracture with an integrated wing-shaped anatomical locking plate, the modified Bikini approach can not only achieve as fine early clinical efficacy as the lateral-rectus approach, but also demonstrate the aesthetic advantages of smaller incision scar and more hidden incision.

Objective:To investigate the effects of treadmill training with different intensities on tendon-bone healing in rats after anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction.Methods:Of the 99 adult male Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats used for this study, 90 were randomly selected to undergo ACL reconstruction with autologous caudal tendon. Two weeks after the surgical reconstruction, the 90 SD rats were randomized into a low-intensity group (group L, n=30) subjected to treadmill training at a speed of 12 m/min, a moderate-intensity group (group M, n=30) subjected to treadmill training at a speed of 18 m/min, and a free group (group C, n=30) subjected to free activities in the cage as a model control. The other 9 rats were set as a blank control (group N, n=9) subjected to no treatment at all. The treadmill training started at the end of 2 weeks after surgical reconstruction. Hematoxylin-eosin (HE), micro-CT analysis, mechanical testing, real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) and western blot analysis were used to evaluate the quality of tendon-bone healing. Results:There were no significant differences in the areas of femoral and tibial lateral bone tunnels or the total bone volume ratio (BV/TV) between the 3 groups 2 weeks after surgery ( P > 0.05). At 4 weeks and 8 weeks after surgery, the areas of lateral tibial bone tunnel and lateral femoral tunnel in groups C, M and L showed a decreasing trend ( P < 0.05) while the BV/TV of lateral femoral tunnel and the BV/TV of lateral tibial tunnel in groups C, M and L showed an increasing trend ( P < 0.05). At 8 weeks after surgery, HE staining showed that the tendon-bone healing was the most mature in group L, followed by group M, and the least mature in group C, showing statistically significant differences ( P < 0.05). The stiffness and maximum failure load showed an increasing trend from group C to group M to group L to group N. The stiffness in group M and the stiffness and maximum failure load in groups N and L were significantly higher than those in group C ( P < 0.05). The relative mRNA expression levels of osteopontin (OPN) and collagen type Ⅱ alpha 1 chain gene (COL2 α 1), as well as the protein expression levels of osteocalcin, OPN, and COL2 α 1, showed an increasing trend from group C to group M to group L, showing significant differences between pairwise comparisons ( P < 0.05). Conclusions:Treadmill training starting at the end of 2 weeks after surgery is beneficial to tendon-bone healing and improves the biomechanical strength of the tendon-bone complex. Low-intensity mechanical stimulation is more conducive to new bone formation and collagen fiber remodeling in the tendon-bone complex.

OBJECTIVE To identify the chemical components of Shenbai Jiedu Decoction(SBJDD),a traditional Chinese medi-cine(TCM)prescription clinically used for the treatment of colorectal adenoma(CRA),and explore the potential mechanism of SBJDD preventing and treating CRA carcinogenesis.METHODS An ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-time of flight-mass spectrometry(UPLC-Q-TOF-MS)method was established to detect the chemical components in the decoction of SBJDD and the plas-ma samples of rats after administration with SBJDD.Based on the network pharmacological method,SBJDD was screened for the poten-tial active ingredients at different stages of CRA carcinogenesis,and the mechanism of the anti-cancer effect of SBJDD was explored.In vitro experiments were also carried out to verify the mechanism of anti-colorectal cancer(CRC)action of SBJDD.RE-SULTS The detection data of UPLC-Q-TOF-MS showed that 152 components were found from SBJDD water extraction.41 chemical compounds were identified in plasma samples from rats administrated with SBJDD.Network pharmacology analysis indicated that during the CREI stage,the potential active ingredients in SBJDD,including epiberberine,and kushenol H,might affect target proteins such as PIK3CA,MAPK3 and PIK3CB.This,in turn,can influence signaling pathways like PI3K-AKT and Ras signaling pathways,and regulate biological processes like protein phosphorylation,and signal transduction.During the CRA stage,the potential active ingredi-ents from SBJDD,such as 3,7-dihydroxycoumarin,palmatine,and kushenol A,might affect target proteins such as AKT and EGFR.This can regulate the negative regulation of apoptotic process,and positive regulation of cell proliferation,and modify HIF-1,and Rap1 signaling pathways.During the progression of CRA carcinogenesis,potential active ingredients such as 3,7-dihydroxycouma-rin may interact with TP53,and impact the PI3K-AKT,and Thyroid hormone signaling pathways to regulate biological processes,in-cluding positive regulation of transcription from RNA polymerase Ⅱ promoter,and negative regulation of apoptotic process.In the CRC stage,core ingredients like p-coumaric acid may bind with proteins such as PRKCB.This binding may impact the signaling pathways that negatively affect EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitor resistance,and PI3K-AKT signaling pathways.Additionally,it may regulate bio-logical processes,including negative regulation of apoptotic process,signal transduction,and protein phosphorylation.In vitro experi-ment results indicated that SBJDD inhibited the proliferation of HT29 cells and suppressed the expression of EGFR and PKC proteins.CONCLUSION The UPLC-Q-TOF-MS method is established to effectively separate the chemical constituents in SBJDD,which are mainly composed of alkaloids,organic acids and flavonoids components.Components from SBJDD dock with different targets during the carcinogenesis process of CRA and regulate cancer-related signaling pathways to exert therapeutic effects.

Objective:To investigate the development of receptive and expressive vocabulary in Mandarin-speaking children with cochlear implants (CI) during the first year after CI activation.Methods:A total of 827 children (411 boys and 416 girls) who were implanted CI before 2.5 years of age from October 2019 to December 2022 in the Department of Auditory Implantation, Shandong Provincial ENT Hospital were included in this study. The Infant Checklist of the Mandarin Early Vocabulary Inventory (EVI) was used to assess the quantity and content of receptive and expressive vocabulary at the time of CI activation and at the 1st, 3rd, 6th, 9th, 12th months post-activation. SPSS 22.0 was used to describe the receptive and expressive vocabulary of CI children at the first year after activation.Results:During the first year after CI activation, CI children′s receptive and expressive vocabulary consistently increased with the CI usage. The average number of receptive vocabulary and expressive vocabulary respectively increased from 0 to 178, and from 0 to 97. At the first year of post-activation, the number of receptive and expressive vocabulary of CI children were superior to that of hearing-age matched typical-hearing children, but fell behind of that of chronological age matched typical-hearing children. In terms of lexical categories, receptive and expressive vocabulary was acquired in the following order: nouns, verbs, adjectives, and pronouns. Among the top 50 words that CI children could express, nouns were the most common, then followed by verbs, adjectives, and pronouns. Father′s education level can significantly and positively predictethe receptive vocabulary of CI children at the first year post-activation. At the first year after CI activation, the 10th, 25th, 50th, 75th, and 90th percentiles were 113, 149, 178, 202, 223 for the receptive vocabulary, and 9, 37, 97, 148, 188 for expressive vocabulary.Conclusion:For Mandarin speaking children with CI, the receptive and expression vocabulary continuely increased within the first year after CI activation. The ability to grasp receptive vocabulary precedes the ability to express expressive vocabulary. Compared to hearing-age matched typical-hearing children, CI children showed faster rate of the vocabulary growth, and earlier and more frequently verb expression. However, it still larged behind that of chronological age matched hearing normal children. CI children respectively understood and expressed nouns and verbs the first. In children with CI, the first concepts understood and expressed were nouns and verbs. Among the first 50 words expressed, nouns were the most numerous, and the age at which verbs were acquired was earlier than that for hearing-age matched typical-hearing children.