Association of neural tube defects with congenital abnormalities of the urogenital system in a Chinese cohort.

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to retrospectively analyze the correlation between congenital abnormality of the urogenital system and various factors in children with neural tube defects (NTDs). METHODS: A total of 190 children with congenital NTDs, who were admitted to a hospital from May 2013 to May 2018, were included into the present study. All admitted children with congenital NTDs were carried out routine abdominal B-ultrasound examinations to determine the malformations of the abdominal organs, including the urinary system. Children with a B-ultrasound result of suspected and unsure malformation underwent intravenous pyelography (IVP) and voiding cysto-urethrography (VCU), and this was further confirmed by the CT results. RESULTS: The incidence of urogenital malformation was 12.1% (23/190) in children with congenital NTDs. For the 23 children with urogenital malformations, most of these children had no definite urinary system symptoms, while some of these children had multiple incidences of urinary system infections. CONCLUSIONS: Congenital NTDs are often combined with urogenital malformations, if not specifically searched these may be overlooked. The early detection of these malformations is beneficial to reduce the risk of operation and improve the prognosis.

[Relationship between anogenital distance and cryptorchidism in human newborns].

OBJECTIVE: To explore the relation of the anogenital distance (AGD) with cryptorchidism in male newborns. METHODS: This study included 350 male infants delivered in two community hospitals between September 2013 and September 2014. Within 24 hours after birth, a pediatric surgeon measured the AGD of the neonates and determined whether they had cryptorchidism. According to the testicular position, we divided the undescended testes into three types: upper scrotal, inguinal, and non-palpable. RESULTS: Totally 39 cases of cryptorchidism were found in the 350 newborns. The AGD of the cryptorchidism infants was significantly shorter than that of the normal neonates ([2.01 ± 0.22] vs [2.35 ± 0.19] cm, P < 0.01), and statistically significant differences remained even when preterm and low birth-weight infants were excluded ([2.32 ± 0.14] vs [2.06 ± 0.19] cm; (2.37 ± 0.17) cm vs (2.12 ± 0.12) cm, all P < 0.01). The newborns with higher-position cryptorchidism had a shorter AGD, though with no significant difference (F = 0.434, P > 0.05). No significant differences were observed in the AGD between unilateral and bilateral cryptorchidism ([1.96 ± 0.13] vs [2.02 ± 0.17] cm, P > 0.05). CONCLUSION: Shorter AGD is associated with a higher incidence of cryptorchidism in male newborns. AGD could serve as a potential biomarker for disruption of androgen action during the male programming window period.

Cancer Stem Cells in Tumours of the Central Nervous System in Children: A Comprehensive Review.

Cancer stem cells (CSCs) are a subgroup of cells found in various kinds of tumours with stem cell characteristics, such as self-renewal, induced differentiation, and tumourigenicity. The existence of CSCs is regarded as a major source of tumour recurrence, metastasis, and resistance to conventional chemotherapy and radiation treatment. Tumours of the central nervous system (CNS) are the most common solid tumours in children, which have many different types including highly malignant embryonal tumours and midline gliomas, and low-grade gliomas with favourable prognoses. Stem cells from the CNS tumours have been largely found and reported by researchers in the last decade and their roles in tumour biology have been deeply studied. However, the cross-talk of CSCs among different CNS tumour types and their clinical impacts have been rarely discussed. This article comprehensively reviews the achievements in research on CSCs in paediatric CNS tumours. Biological functions, diagnostic values, and therapeutic perspectives are reviewed in detail. Further investigations into CSCs are warranted to improve the clinical practice in treating children with CNS tumours.

Maternal exposure to environmental endocrine disruptors during pregnancy is associated with pediatric germ cell tumors.

Environmental endocrine disruptors (EEDs) are natural or synthetic chemical compounds that interfere with normal endocrine function in both wildlife and humans. Previous studies have indicated that EEDs may contribute to oncogenesis. This study explores the relationship between EEDs and pediatric germ cell tumors (GCTs). A case-control study was conducted in 84 pediatric patients from 2014 to 2017, including 42 subjects with immature teratoma, yolk sac tumor, or germinoma, and 42 controls who experienced pneumonia or trauma. Serum PFASs, including PFBS, PFHpA, PFHxS, PFOA, PFOS, PFNA, PFDA, PFUA, PFOSA, and PFDoA, were measured in each subject, and their history of possible EED exposure was reviewed. Six of the 10 measured PFASs were significantly increased in the GCT group relative to the control group. With respect to lifestyle history, only PFHxS levels were statistically significantly associated with GCTs as determined by logistic regression analysis. The odds ratio for a 1 ng/L increase in PFHxS was 19.47 (95% CI: 4.20-90.26). Furthermore, in the GCT and control groups, both parental consumption of barbecued foods and hair dye use among parents were significantly correlated with elevated serum PFHxS levels (ρ = 0.383, 0.325 in the patient group and ρ = 0.370, 0.339 in the control group; p < 0.05). Our study confirmed that children with GCTs from our institute had relatively high serum levels of PFASs relative to those of tumor-free pediatric patients. Serum PFHxS levels were independently associated with germ cell tumor occurrence.