The effect of vitamin D supplementation on individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is inconclusive. We aimed to conduct a meta-analysis of the available randomized controlled trials (RCTs) to explore whether vitamin D supplementation can improve core symptoms and coexisting conditions in children with ASD. Data were obtained by searching the PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, CINAHL and Cochrane Library databases up to February 2022 following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. Using a random-effects model, mean differences with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated through a meta-analysis. There were eight RCTs with 266 children with ASD in the present review, among which six RCTs were included in the meta-analysis.Children who received vitamin D supplementation showed a significant improvement in stereotypical behavior scores (pooled mean difference (MD): −1.39; 95% CI: −2.7, −0.07; p = 0.04) with low heterogeneity (I2 = 34%), and there was a trend toward decreased total scores on the Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS) and Childhood Autism Rating Scale (CARS, p = 0.05); however, there were no other significant differences in the core symptoms of ASD and coexisting conditions between groups as measured by the Aberrant Behavior Checklist (ABC). Vitamin D supplementation appears to improve stereotypical behaviors but does not improve other core symptoms and coexisting conditions. Further randomized controlled trials with large sample sizes and individualized doses are needed.

Objective:To study the impacts of pre-pregnancy body mass index (BMI), gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) and gestational weight gain (GWG) on perinatal outcomes and mode of delivery.Methods:From November 2016 to December 2017, single-pregnancy women in early pregnancy (<13 weeks) regularly checked-up at our hospital were enrolled in this prospective cohort study and followed up until delivery. They were assigned into four groups according to pre-pregnancy BMI: obese group (≥28.0 kg/m 2), overweight group(24.0-<28.0 kg/m 2), normal group (18.5-<24.0 kg/m 2) and underweight group(<18.5 kg/m 2). A 75-g oral glucose tolerance test was performed at 24-28 weeks of pregnancy to screen for GDM. The optimal GWG was 11.0-16.0 kg for underweight group, 8.0-14.0 kg for normal group, 7.0-11.0 kg for overweight group and 5.0-9.0 kg for obesity group. The effects of pre-pregnancy BMI, GDM and GWG on perinatal outcomes and delivery mode were evaluated using multivariate logistic regression methods. Results:A total of 802 pregnant women were included. The incidences of pre-pregnancy overweight and obesity were 21.8% and 8.9%, respectively. The incidence of GDM was 14.1%. 57.2% of the participants experienced excessive GWG. The incidences of macrosomia, low birth weight and premature birth were 7.1%, 2.7% and 2.2%, respectively. The incidence of Cesarean delivery (C-section) was 37.7%. Pre-pregnancy obesity [adjusted odds ratio ( AOR)=4.355, 95% confidence interval ( CI) 1.900-9.980] and excessive GWG ( AOR=3.799, 95% CI 1.796-8.034) were independent risk factors for macrosomia. Excessive GWG was a protective factor for low birth weight ( AOR=0.279, 95% CI 0.084-0.928) and inadequate GWG was a risk factor for low birth weight ( AOR=10.954, 95% CI 3.594-33.382) and premature birth ( AOR=8.796, 95% CI 2.628-29.438). Compared with the normal group, overweight group had an increased risk of C-section ( AOR=1.817, 95% CI 1.119-2.949). Compared with pregnant women without pre-pregnancy overweight/obesity, GDM nor excessive GWG, any combination of two of the above-mentioned three factors increased the risks of macrosomia ( AOR=3.908, 95% CI 1.630-9.370) and C-section ( AOR=2.269, 95% CI 1.325-3.886). The risks of macrosomia and C-section were the highest when all three factors existed. Conclusions:Pre-pregnancy obesity and excessive GWG are independent risk factors for macrosomia and pre-pregnancy overweight is a risk factor of C-section. Exposure to any two of the three factors (pre-pregnancy overweight/obesity, GDM and excessive GWG) increases risks of macrosomia and C-section and the highest risk is observed when all three factors are present.

Pertussis is a highly contagious respiratory disease.Although widespread vaccination has greatly reduced the incidence of pertussis, there was a " recurrence of pertussis" in the past 30 years, and pertussis outbreaks occurred in some areas.Infants who have not been vaccinated or have not completed the full course of immunization suffer from more severe pertussis infections.Because of the atypical symptoms of young infants, missed diagnosis and misdiagnosis often occur, and pertussis cannot be diagnosed and treated in time.As a result, they can easily develop into severe pertussis or even die.In this article, recently published research on severe pertussis are summarized, so as to provide guidance for the clinical diagnosis, treatment, prevention and basic scientific research of severe pertussis.

Objective:To investigate clinical significance of Presepsin(soluble CD14 subtype) in the diagnosis and condition assessment of sepsis in children compared with traditional biomarkers.Methods:For the prospective study, 102 children with sepsis admitted to the PICU of the Children′s Hospital of the Capital Institute of Pediatrics from January 2017 to December 2018 were selected, including 57 cases in the sepsis group, 45 cases in the severe sepsis/septic shock group and 25 cases in the non-infectious systemic inflammatory response syndrome(SIRS group), and 35 children with healthy physical examination during the same period as the control group.The sepsis group was further divided into the survival group( n=86)and the death group( n=16)based on the 28-day mortality.The data collected included serum Presepsin, procalcitonin(PCT), C-reaction protein(CRP) and interleukin(IL)-6 levels on days 1, 3 and 7 of admission, and compared with paediatric critical case scores. Results:(1)The levels of serum Presepsin [12.43(7.21, 15.07) ng/mL], PCT [23.00(5.70, 87.00) ng/mL], CRP [160.0(105.5, 200.0) mg/L], IL-6 [1 000.0(125.0, 1, 000.0) pg/mL] were significantly higher than those in the sepsis, SIRS and control groups( P<0.001). (2) The area under the ROC curve(AUC) values for Presepsin, PCT, and IL-6 subjects on day 1 of admission were 0.856, 0.812, and 0.516, respectively.The sensitivity of Presepsin at a cut-off value of 4.40 ng/mL for the diagnosis of sepsis was 81.1% and the specificity was 72.3%, which would significantly higher diagnostic efficacy of the combination of Presepsin, PCT and IL-6.(3) There was a significant difference between the survival and death groups in Presepsin( P<0.001), and Presepsin was significantly higher in the death group on days 3 and 7 than those in the survival group(both P<0.001); IL-6 was significantly higher in the death group on day 3 than that in the survival group( P=0.04); the differences in PCT and CRP between the death and survival groups at all time points were not statistically significant(both P>0.05 ). (4) The AUCs of inflammatory factors on days 1, 3 and 7 to predict sepsis outcome were 0.597, 0.656 and 0.951 for Presepsin, 0.576, 0.613 and 0.655 for PCT and 0.726, 0.786 and 0.664 for IL-6, respectively.The diagnostic values of Presepsin on day 7 and IL-6 on days 1 and 3 were higher.The combination of Presepsin, PCT and IL-6 significantly improved the prognostic judgment of sepsis.(5) The difference between sepsis-related acute kidney injury(AKI) and non-AKI was not statistically significant when comparing Presepsin on day 1 and 3(all P>0.05). Presepsin levels on day 7 were significantly higher in children with sepsis-associated AKI than in those without AKI( P<0.001). Conclusion:Presepsin is a good biomarker for sepsis diagnosis in children, which is equivalent to PCT in the diagnosis of sepsis, superior to IL-6 and superior to PCT in the prognosis evaluation.Combined testing of Presepsin, PCT and IL-6 may improve the diagnosis of sepsis and the assessment of the condition in children.

Objective:To screen and identify differentially expressed long non-coding RNA (lncRNAs) in peripheral blood of children with sepsis, and to explore the role of lncRNAs in the pathogenesis of sepsis in children.Methods:The peripheral blood samples of 3 children with sepsis admitted to the ICU of Children′s Hospital of Capital Institute of Pediatrics from January to December 2016 and 3 healthy children who underwent physical examination in our hospital during the same period were selected, and the differential expression profiles of lncRNAs and mRNAs were screened by lncRNAs sequencing technology.The target genes of differentially expressed lncRNAs were predicted and the relationship pairs of lncRNA-mRNA related to F 1F O-ATPase activity were constructed according to the results of GO analysis.Further increasing the sample size, we verified the expression of some F 1F O-ATPase activity-related mRNAs and lncRNAs which were differentially expressed in the screening results by real-time fluorescent quantitative polymerase chain reaction(qRT-PCR). Results:Sequencing results showed that there were 252 lncRNAs with significant differential expression in peripheral blood of children with sepsis compared with healthy children, of which 86 were up-regulated and 166 were down-regulated; meanwhile, there were 2 652 mRNAs with significant differential expression, of which 955 were up-regulated and 1 697 were down-regulated.The results of qRT-PCR showed that the expression of lncRNA ENST00000621933.1, ENST00000616950.1 and ENST00000595748.1 in peripheral blood of children with sepsis increased( P<0.05), while the expression of MT-ATP8, ATP5E and ENST00000624705.1, ENST00000615535.1 in peripheral blood of children with sepsis decreased( P<0.05), which was consistent with the sequencing results. Conclusion:lncRNAs are differentially expressed in peripheral blood of children with sepsis compared with healthy children.The expression levels of lncRNA ENST00000621933.1, ENST00000616950.1, ENST00000595748.1, ENST00000624705.1 and ENST00000615535.1 which their target genes are MT-ATP8 and ATP5E may be related to the development of sepsis in children.

Objective To evaluate a new multiple nucleic acid detection technology-dual amplification assay,for the clinical value in diagnosis of children with upper respiratory tract infection.Methods Samples from 43 patients were tested by dual amplification assay and direct immunofluorescence assay in nasopharyngeal and throat swabs.Seven respiratory tract pathogens were analyzed,included influenzavirus A (FluA),influenzavirus B (FluB),respiratory syncytial virus (RSV),parainfluenzavirus (PIV),adenovirus (Adv),Mycoplasma pneumoniae (Mp) and Chlamydiae pneumoniae (Cpn).In addition,the samples with different result were confirmed by reverse transcription (RT)-nest PCR assay.Results The positive rate of double amplification assay were 53.3％,with 8.8％ multiple infection.Excluding the detection of Mp and Cpn,the positive rate and mulitple infection rate of dual amplification was higher than direct immunofluorescence by 11.1％ and 4.5％ respectively.Eight samples with different result were confirmed the same as the dual amplification result by RT-nest PCR assay.Conclusions The RNA of seven pathogens can be detected simultaneously by dual amplification assay with higher sensitivity and specificity.The dual amplification technology with high clinical application value can provide comprehensive etiological diagnosis information assisting the diagnosis of upper respiratory tract infectious diseases.

Objective To study the levels of antibodies against bordetella pertussis among pregnant women and neonates in Beijing. Method From December 2016 to March 2017, pregnant women and their newborns from three women and children′s hospitals in Beijing were enrolled in this study. 3 ml of venous blood from the mothers and 3 ml of umbilical cord blood from neonates were drawn.Pertussis bacillus IgG antibody (PER-IgG) and pertussis toxin IgG antibody (PT-IgG) were tested using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. χ2 test was used to compare the positive rate of pertussis IgG antibodies in maternal and cord blood in the three hospitals. Correlational analyses of the antibodies levels in each hospital were conducted. The demographic characteristics, history of cough during pregnancy and history of DTaP vaccination of the mothers were collected via questionnaires. Result A total of 612 pairs of venous blood and cord blood samples were collected, including 4 mothers delivered twins and 616 cases of cord blood sample were collected. No history of pertussis were found in the 612 mothers. Among the 616 cases of umbilical cord blood, positive rate of PER-IgG was 13.3％ (82/616), positive rate of PT-IgG was 0.5％ (3/616). Among 612 cases of venous blood from the mothers, positive rate of PER-IgG was 7.7％ (47/612), positive rate of PT-IgG was 0.3％ (2/612). Positive rates of PER-IgG and PT-IgG in the mothers′ venous blood were not correlated with their residences (P=0.676 and 0.544). Positive rates of PER-IgG (r=0.842, P<0.001) and PT-IgG (r=0.619, P<0.001) in the mothers′ blood were positively correlated with the positive rate in umbilical cord blood. Conclusion This study shows that the positive rate of PER-IgG is very low in the maternal and umbilical cord blood in Beijing. Positive correlations of PER-IgG and PT-IgG between mother and umbilical cord blood were existed. Most mothers and their newborns do not have enough protection against pertussis.

Objective To examine the plasma fibroblast growth factor-23 (FGF-23) concentration in children with primary hypertension and to investigate the association between plasma FGF-23 and subclinical cardiovascular damages,and to identify its predictive value for diagnosis.Methods With prospective study,77 patients (61 males and 16 females) who were diagnosed as primary hypertension with the average age of (11.8 ±2.2) years were enrolled with informed consent in Children's Hospital,Capital Institute of Pediatrics from October 2016 to December 2017.Carotid wall intima-media thickness (cIMT) measured by Doppler ultrasound and left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) identified by echocardiography were assessed as parameters of subclinical cardiovascular damages.Patients were divided into increased cIMT group (n=18) and normal cIMT group (n=46) (64 patients with complete data of cIMT).According to left ventricular geometry,patients were divided into LVH group (n=27) and normal geometry group (n=50).Concentration of plasma FGF-23 was detected in all children by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay test.Mann-Whitney U test was used to compare plasma levels of FGF-23 between groups.Kendall's tau-b correlation coefficient was used to analyze the correlation between plasma FGF-23 and cIMT/LVH.Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to analyze the value of plasma FGF-23 in the prediction of subclinical cardiovascular damage.Results The concentration of plasma FGF-23 in the increased cIMT group was higher than that in the normal cIMT group (55.6 (46.2,63.5) vs.48.6 (39.4,57.3) × 103 RU/L,Z=-2.143,P=0.032).Also,plasma FGF-23 showed positive correlation with cIMT(r=0.222,P=0.032).According to ROC curve analysis,the cutoff value of plasma FGF-23 for prediction of increased cIMT was 53.9× 103 RU/L (55.6％ sensitivity and 71.7％ specificity).The concentration of plasma FGF-23 in the LVH group was significantly higher than that in normal geometry group (55.0 (46.8,65.7) vs.48.2 (39.5,56.0)× 103 RU/L,Z=-2.375,P=0.018).And,plasma FGF-23 was correlated positively with LVH (r=0.224,P=0.018).The concentration of plasma FGF-23 in patients with concentric remodeling (n=10) was significantly higher than that of the normal geometry group (56.9 (49.6,66.3) vs.48.2 (39.5,56.0) × 103 RU/L,Z=-2.093,P=0.036).According to ROC curve analysis,the cutoff value of plasma FGF-23 for prediction of LVH was 49.1 × 103 RU/L (70.4％ sensitivity and 60.0％ specificity).Conclusion The concentration of plasma FGF-23 in children with primary hypertension was correlated positively with LVH and cIMT and had certain predictive value of diagnosis for subclinical cardiovascular damages.

Objective To investigate the prevalence of pertussis in infants and children with persistent cough in Beijing during 2011-2016.Methods The eligible infants and children from over ten hospitals who were suspected to have pertussis from 2011 to 2016 were enrolled for detection.Nasopharyngeal secretions and blood samples were collected.Multiplex-PCR was performed for Bordetella pertussis and real-time PCR was performed for nucleic acid of Bordetella pertussis.Results A total of 1 318 eligible cases were enrolled,including 820 males and 498 females.Pertussis was detected positive in 534 cases,including 81.3％ (434/534) of B.pertussis positive cases and 31.8％ (170/534) of IgG positive cases.There were 13.1 ％ (70/534) had double positive for bacteria and antibodies.From 2011 to 2016,the enrolled patients were increased from 103 cases per year to 460 cases per year,and the test positive patients were increased from 29 cases to 194 cases.Among the pertussis patients,466 (87.3 ％) cases were younger than one year old.From the first quarter to the fourth quarter of the year,There were 65 cases,151 cases,205 cases,and 113 cases,respectively.In further analysis of the 268 cases from Children's Hospital affiliated to Capital Institute of Pediatrics,90.7％ of the patients who had whooping cough were scattered children;185 cases (69.0％) of the patients had not begun programmed immunization,71 cases (26.5％) did not complete programmed immunization and 12 cases (4.5％)completed the programmed immunization.Of all the inpatients,21.6％ were critical ill,0.8％ (2 cases) dead,and the remaining patients were recovered and discharged.Conclusions The prevalence of pertussis is increasing,especially in summer.Infants are the most susceptible population.Bordetella pertussis is one of the most important pathogen that can induce persistent and chronic cough.

Objective To study the epidemiological and clinical characteristics ofpertussis in infants younger than three months.Methods Infants younger than three months were enrolled from January 1,2011 to December 31,2015 with one or more of the following symptoms:persistent cough,spasmic cough,cyanosis of unknown causes,asphyxia and apnea.Multiplex polymerase chain reaction(PCR) assay was performed to identify Bordetella pertussis and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was used to detect antibody to pertussis toxin.Clinical features,complications,treatments and prognosis of the infants confirmed with pertussis were analyzed.Results Altogether 202 cases were enrolled in the five years,and 59 (29.2％) of which were positive for pertussis confirmed by multiplex PCR.Among the 59 cases,37 were boys and 22 were girls.The youngest baby was 13 days and the oldest one was 85 days.Length of stay ranged from 7 to 21 days.Twelve cases had a contact history with family members having chronic cough.Symptoms occurred in spring or summer in 46 cases (78.0％),and in autumn or winter in 13 (22.0％) cases.Symptoms of spasmic cough,cyanosis after coughing,vomiting after coughing and conjunctival hemorrhage were respectively found in 41 (69.5％),36 (61.0％),39 (66.1％)and 33 (55.9％) cases,while only six (10.2％) presented with inspiratory whooping sound on coughing.Fortynine cases (83.1％) showed increased lymphocyte count (≥ 10 × 109/L).Twenty-eight cases (47.5％) developed severe pertussis.Complications including apnea and bradycardia after coughing,respiratory failure and heart failure,pertussis encephalopathy as well as highly increased leucocyte count (≥ 60× 109/L) occurred in 23 (39.0％),18 (30.5％),five (8.5％) and four (6.8％) cases,respectively.Twenty-four cases with severe pertussis required respiratory support,of which six received invasive ventilation and 18 received non-invasive ventilation.Fifty-eight infants were recovered and discharged,while one baby died.Conclusions Bordetella pertussis infection is an important cause of persistent cough in unimmunized infants under three months of age.The symptoms of pertussis in infants are untypical,but the incidence of severe pertussis is high.Thus early diagnosis and timely treatment are necessary.