Establishment of a nomogram for predicting functional constipation among children in China: Using the Rome IV criteria.

BACKGROUND AND STUDY AIMS: Childhood functional constipation (FC) is gradually becoming an emerging public health problem. This study aimed to develop a personalized nomogram for the prediction of incident FC among Chinese children, and the diagnosis of FC was based on the Rome IV criteria. PATIENTS AND METHODS: This cross-sectional study was conducted from Nov. 2020 to Jan. 2021 among children residing in Anhui province, China. An electronic questionnaire regarding the general demographic and clinical characteristics of all children was completed by their primary caregivers. The multivariate logistic regression analysis was applied to identify risk factors for FC. Moreover, a nomogram was constructed for FC based on the risk factors identified from the multivariate analysis. RESULTS: In this study, a total of 901 electronic questionnaires were collected, of which 832 (92.3%) questionnaires were properly completed and included in the final analysis. The prevalence of FC among Chinese children was 11.3% based on the Rome IV criteria. After controlling for potential confounding factors, the multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that inadequate sleep, picky eating, and positive family history of FC were identified as key risk factors of FC. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of the nomogram was 0.694 (95 %CI: 0.6412-0.7459). Further, a calibration curve drawn illustrated that the predicted probabilities reasonably approximately the actual prevalence of FC in this population. CONCLUSION: Inadequate sleep, picky eating, and positive family history of FC were identified as risk factors of FC. An easy-to-use nomogram was constructed based on these three significant factors. Besides, this nomogram was validated to have acceptable discrimination and calibration capabilities. Hence, this nomogram may enable clinical professionals to predict the risk of FC among Chinese children and further provide optimized disease prevention and intervention for this population.

Cross-cultural adaptation and validation of the geriatric 8 screening tool in Chinese hospitalized older adults with cancer.

OBJECTIVES: To translate, cross-culturally adapt, and validate the Geriatric 8 (G8) questionnaire in Chinese hospitalized older adults with cancer. METHODS: The Chinese version of the G8 (C-G8) was produced following Brislin's guidelines. The psychometric properties of the C-G8 were evaluated among 296 eligible patients. RESULTS: The content validity index of the C-G8 was 0.8∼1 at the item level and 0.975 at the scale level. The C-G8 identified more frail individuals among these older (>75 years) participants compared to their younger (65∼75 years) counterparts (frailty prevalence: 87.1% vs. 70.9%, P=0.010). The convergent validity of the C-G8 was tested by correlating it with the FRAIL scale (r=-0.592, P<0.001). The C-G8 had a lower internal consistency (Cronbach's α coefficient=0.501) but higher test-retest reliability and inter-rater reliability (intraclass correlation coefficient=0.913 and 0.993, respectively, P<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: The C-G8 questionnaire presented acceptable validity and reliability and could be used in Chinese hospitalized older adults with cancer.

Expression of acid-sensing ion channels of gastric mucosa from patients with Henoch-Schönlein purpura.

Acid-sensing ion channels (ASICs) are members of the voltage-insensitive, amiloride-sensitive degenerin/epithelial Na channel family of cation channels and have been shown to mediate pain associated with tissue acidosis after inflammation or injury; however, the expression and role of ASICs in gastrointestinal tract of Henoch-Schönlein purpura (HSP) patients were still uncertain. The present study was designed to examine the expression and localization of ASICs in gastric mucosa from patients with HSP using immunochemical techniques. The results showed that there was a significant increase in the mean relative optical density of ASIC2 and ASIC3 but not ASIC1a in the lining epithelium and glandular tubes of gastric mucosa from HSP patients with HSP. This finding suggested that ASICs may be related to the pathogenesis of gastrointestinal manifestations in patients with HSP.