[Serum free fatty acid level in children with primary hypertension]. / å„¿ç«¥åŽŸå‘æ€§é«˜è¡€åŽ‹è¡€æ¸ æ¸¸ç¦»è„‚è‚ªé ¸çš„æ°´å¹³åŠæ„ä¹‰.

OBJECTIVES: To examine the serum level of free fatty acid (FFA) in children with primary hypertension and its value in the pathogenesis, prevention, and treatment of primary hypertension in children. METHODS: In this retrospective study, 34 children with primary hypertension who were treated for the first time in Children's Hospital Affiliated to Capital Institute of Pediatrics from January to June, 2021, were enrolled as the hypertension group, and 32 children with normal blood pressure who underwent physical examination during the same period were enrolled as the control group. The two groups were compared in terms of the levels of fasting serum FFA, fasting serum triglyceride (TG), total cholesterol (TC), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), and non-high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (non-HDL-C). The multivariate logistic regression model was used to analyze the influence of FFA on the development of primary hypertension. RESULTS: Compared with the control group, the hypertension group had significantly higher body mass index (BMI), systolic blood pressure, and diastolic blood pressure (P<0.05), as well as significantly higher serum levels of FFA, TG, LDL-C, and non-HDL-C and a significantly lower serum level of HDL-C (P<0.05). Compared with the control group, the hypertension group had significantly higher rates of elevated serum FFA (>0.45 mmol/L for girls and >0.60 mmol/L for boys) (P<0.05) and abnormal blood lipid levels (abnormality in at least one index among serum TG, TC, LDL-C, HDL-C, and non-HDL-C) (P<0.05). A multivariate logistic regression equation was established based on age, sex, BMI, elevated serum FFA, and abnormal blood lipid levels, and the results showed that elevated serum FFA was an independent risk factor for primary hypertension in children (OR=17.560, 95%CI: 1.964-157.003, P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: There is a significant increase in serum FFA level in children with primary hypertension, and the increase in serum FFA can increase the risk of primary hypertension in children.

Pathogenic changes of community-acquired pneumonia in a children's hospital in Beijing, China before and after COVID-19 onset: a retrospective study.

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to analyze the pathogenic characteristics of community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) in a children's hospital before and after the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic and to provide testimony for preventing CAP in the future. METHODS: A retrospective analysis was performed. The information was collected from the electronic medical record system of the hospital. A total of 2739 children were included from February 1, 2019, to January 31, 2021. RESULTS: Among these 2739 patients were 1507 (55.02%) males and 1232 (44.98%) females; the median age was 3.84 years. There were 2364 cases during the pre-COVID-19 period and 375 cases during the post-COVID-19 period. The number of hospitalized children after the pandemic was 84.14% lower. The median age after the onset was 1.5 years younger than that before the onset (4.08 years old) (Z = - 7.885, P < 0.001). After the pandemic, the proportion of CAP in school-age children and Mycoplasma pneumoniae pneumonia (MPP) and influenza virus pneumonia (IVP) decreased significantly. During the pre-COVID-19 period, the proportions of detected pathogens were as follows: MP (59.56%) > bacteria (50.42%) > viruses (29.57%) > fungi (3.43%). During the post-COVID-19 period, the pathogen proportions were bacteria (56.53%) > viruses (53.60%) > MP (23.47%) > fungi (3.73%). CONCLUSIONS: There was a significant decrease in the number of children with CAP hospitalized after the pandemic, especially among school-age children, and the pathogen proportions of CAP with MP and IV were significantly decreased. We inferred that CAP was effectively prevented in school-age children because of the strong mitigation measures.

Phosphotungstic acid immobilized nanofibers-Nafion composite membrane with low vanadium permeability and high selectivity for vanadium redox flow battery.

A novel composite vanadium-blocking proton exchange membrane for vanadium redox flow battery (VRB) was designed and constructed by immobilizing phosphotungstic acid (PWA) on Nano Kevlar Fibers (NKFs) via a solution-casting method. The proton/vanadium selectivity of the composite membrane is greatly improved by incorporating the complex formed by NKFs and PWA into the Nafion matrix. Simple tuning of the complex doping quantity results in different composite membranes with superior vanadium barrier properties (namely, a minimum vanadium permeability of 2.46 × 10-7 cm2 min-1). This coupled with proton conductivities reaching 0.061 S cm-1 at room temperature indicates a proton/vanadium selectivity of 2.48 × 105 S min cm-3, which is 6.3 times higher than that of recast Nafion (0.34 × 105 S min cm-3). When tested in a VRB, the performance of the single cell assembled with the composite membrane greatly outperforms that with recast Nafion at current densities ranging from 40 to 100 mA cm-2.

Association of Different Human Rhinovirus Species with Asthma in Children: A Preliminary Study.

BACKGROUND: Human rhinoviruses (HRVs) are divided into three genetic species: HRV-A, HRV-B, and HRV-C. The association of different HRV species with asthma in children in China has not yet been evaluated. This preliminary study aimed to assess the associations between different HRV species, particularly HRV-C, and asthma in young children in China. METHODS: A total of 702 nasopharyngeal aspirates were obtained from 155 children with asthma (asthma group), 461 children with acute respiratory infection (ARI) without asthma (nonasthma ARI group), and 86 children from the control group. Semi-nested polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was used to detect HRVs, and PCR products were sequenced for species identification. Epidemiological characteristics of HRV-positive cases were analyzed. RESULTS: HRVs were the most common pathogen (15.4%; 108/702) in the patients in this study. The prevalence of HRV was significantly different (F = 20.633, P = 0.000) between the asthma (25.8%) and nonasthma ARI groups (11.1%). Phylogenetic analysis indicated that in the 108 cases positive for HRVs, 41 were identified as HRV-A, 8 as HRV-B, and 56 as HRV-C. Comparing the asthma with the nonasthma ARI group, Spearman's rank correlation analysis revealed an association between HRV-A (P < 0.05) and C (P < 0.01) and asthma, confirmed by regression analysis, with odds ratios of 2.2 (HRV-A) and 4.2 (HRV-C). CONCLUSIONS: Our data revealed a high prevalence of HRVs in children in China, regardless of clinical status. HRV-C was the dominant species and may be one of the key factors in the association of HRVs with asthma.

[Waist circumference reference values in Beijing versus the national values in detecting cardiovascular risk factors in 7-18 years old children].

OBJECTIVE: To compare the optimal references of waist circumference (WC) between Beijing and China in detecting cardiovascular risk factors in school-age children. METHODS: Percentile curves for WC were drawn by sex using LMS method based on 21 787 children and adolescents aged 7 - 18 from Beijing Child and Adolescent Metabolic Syndrome Study. The 75(th) and the 90(th) percentiles by age and by gender of WC percentile curves were chosen as the optimal WC reference for 3 - 18 years old children and adolescents in Beijing. The sensitivities (Se) and specificities (Sp) were compared between Beijing and China WC references based on the evaluation of cardiovascular risk factors including hypertension, dyslipidemia, impaired fasting glucose and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) in the test population being composed of 4927 school children aged 7 - 18 years. The predictive values for those cardiovascular risk factors were compared between the two optimal thresholds through comparison of the odds ratio (OR) in regression analysis. RESULTS: The optimal reference for Beijing children and adolescents aged 3 - 18 years ranged from 51.8 to 78.2 cm for the 75(th) percentile in boys and 50.8 to 72.1 cm in girls, and the 90(th) percentile increased from 54.0 to 86.0 cm in boys and 53.3 to 77.3 cm in girls. The Ses of Beijing and China WC references in detecting hypertension were 0.74 and 0.82 in boys and 0.68 and 0.73 in girls; the Ses were 0.69 and 0.80 in detecting low-high density lipoprotein in boys and 0.64 and 0.71 in girls; and they were 0.98 and 1.00 in boys and both were 0.93 in girls for NAFLD. The Sps of Beijing and China WC references in screening hypertension were 0.62 and 0.53 in boys and 0.68 and 0.63 in girls, respectively. In predicting low-high density lipoprotein, the Sps were 0.59 and 0.50 in boys and 0.66 and 0.61 in girls, the Sps were 0.60 and 0.50 in boys and 0.56 and 0.51 in girls for predicting NAFLD. After adjustment for age and gender, ORs and their 95% credibility intervals (CI) of the 90(th) WC percentiles of Beijing and China school children were 6.3 (5.2 - 7.7) and 6.0 (4.9 - 7.4) in predicting hypertension. Both predictive ORs and their 95%CIs were 1.3 (1.1 - 1.5) in predicting impaired fasting glucose and the both were 2.9 (2.5 - 3.4) for dyslipidemia. In predicting NAFLD the ORs and their 95%CIs were 49.1 (12.0 - 201.6) and 69.8 (9.7 - 504.2) for Beijing and China WC optimal references, separately. CONCLUSION: Compared with Chinese WC reference, WC reference of Beijing had high Sps in screening cardiovascular risk factors in 7 - 18 years old children. The predictive values were not significant different between Beijing and China WC references for almost all cardiovascular risk factors except NAFLD. The WC reference in Beijing was more practical and handy for reference in Beijing and other north developed metropolises.