Psychological research of the children with chronic kidney disease and their guardians during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Background: There is great mental stress due to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. However, there are no detailed psychological studies of the children with chronic kidney disease (CKD) and their guardians during the COVID-19 pandemic. Objective: This study explores the psychological pressure on children with CKD and their guardians. Methods: An online survey was conducted at 20 of the largest pediatric nephropathy departments in China, including the Rutter Parent Questionnaire, Self-rating Anxiety Scale (SAS), and Self-rating Depression Scale (SDS). Overall, 885 children (589 children with CKD associated with 296 children of the control group) completed the survey together with their guardians. Results: There was no statistical difference between CKD children and control children regarding their Rutter behavior scores and abnormal behaviors. Nevertheless, the abnormal behavior of children might aggravate the anxiety and depression of guardians in both CKD and control groups (p < 0.05). We confirmed that the anxiety and depression of guardians in the CKD group were both significantly higher than those in the control group (p < 0.05). The guardians in the CKD group with lower annual income were more likely to experience anxiety (p < 0.05). Furthermore, the guardians whose children were older than 11 years old might be more anxious than those who were 6-11 years old. Besides, the guardians in the CKD group who watched the news for 30-60 min daily were less likely to have depression than those who watched < 10 min (p < 0.05). The subgroup results showed that the gender, the time of watching the news, the annual income of guardians, and children's age might be the most critical factors influencing guardians' psychological burden. Conclusion: The guardians in the CKD group have more severe anxiety and depression during the pandemic. The children's abnormal behavior, adolescents' pressure, low household income, and the panic about the pandemic may be the main reasons for the anxiety and depression of guardians.

Detection of De Novo PAX2 Variants and Phenotypes in Chinese Population: A Single-Center Study.

Background: PAX2 is a nuclear transcription factor gene that is highly conserved among species. Variants within PAX2 could result in optic nerve colobomas and kidney hypoplasia. However, little clinical and genetic information is currently available about PAX2 variants in Chinese children. Objective: This study aims to further understand the clinical manifestations and genetic characteristics of PAX2 variants in Chinese population. Methods: In this single-center retrospective study, we analyzed the clinical data of 10 children identified as carriers of PAX2 variants by gene sequencing. All the variants found in this study were analyzed using in silico prediction and American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics (ACMG) standards and guidelines. Results: The mean age for developing the first symptom in 10 unrelated children was 7.2 years old. Proteinuria and bilateral kidney dysplasia were found in every patient. Two children underwent kidney histological examination; one child showed high-intensity C1q deposition in the kidney, and the other child showed focal segmental glomerular sclerosis (FSGS). Three children had PAX2-related ocular abnormalities, including nystagmus, retinal exudation, amblyopia, microphthalmia, microcornea, and total blindness. In addition, one patient had the comorbidity of oculocutaneous albinism (OCA). Eight different PAX2 variants were found in ten patients, three of which were reported for the first time. Conclusion: We reported some patients with unique manifestations and comorbidities, and we reported three variants that have not been previously identified. The PAX2 gene is prone to spontaneous variants, and the outcome of patients is unfavorable. Because of the lack of specific therapy, genetic testing should be recommended for individuals with obvious evidence of kidney dysplasia and eye abnormalities, and kidney protective treatment should be initiated early.

Renal Injury by SARS-CoV-2 Infection: A Systematic Review.

BACKGROUND: SARS-CoV-2 infection can cause renal involvement, and severe renal dysfunction is more common among patients with chronic comorbid conditions, especially patients with chronic kidney disease. Angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) has been proven to be the major receptor of SARS-CoV-2 in kidneys, suggesting that ACE2-related changes may be involved in renal injury during the infection. In this review, we systematically reviewed the literature to summarize findings on the mechanism of renal injury caused by SARS-COV-2 infection, in order to provide a theoretical basis for renal protection therapy. SUMMARY: For patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection, renal injury mainly manifests as increased serum creatinine, variable degrees of proteinuria and hematuria, and radiographic abnormalities of the kidneys. In this review, we summarize the pathogenesis of renal injury deriving from SARS-CoV-2 infection by focusing on its etiology, pathology, and clinical manifestations. The virus causes kidney injury by either direct infection or systemic effects, including host immune clearance and immune tolerance disorders, endothelium-mediated vasculitis, thrombus formation, glucose and lipid metabolism disorder, and hypoxia. KEY MESSAGES: Renal injury by SARS-CoV-2 is the result of multiple factors. Via highly expressed ACE2 in renal tissue, SARS-CoV-2 infection fundamentally initiates a mechanism of renal injury. Systemic effects such as host immune clearance and immune tolerance disorders, endothelial cell injury, thrombus formation, glucose and lipid metabolism disorder, and hypoxia aggravate this renal injury.

Uptake of maternal care and childhood immunization among ethnic minority and Han populations in Sichuan province: a study based on the 2003, 2008 and 2013 health service surveys.

BACKGROUND: China has made remarkable progress in maternal and child health (MCH) over the last thirty years, but socio-economic inequalities persist. Ethnicity has become an important determinant of poor MCH outcomes, but little rigorous analytical work has been done in this area. To understand the socio-economic factors that explain ethnic variation in uptake of MCH care, we report the findings from an analysis in Sichuan province. METHODS: We linked data from the 2003, 2008 and 2013 National Health Service Surveys in Sichuan Province. The ethnic disparities in uptake of maternal care (completing 5 antenatal visits, giving birth in hospital and receiving a caesarean section) and childhood immunization (Bacillus Calmette Guerin (BCG), three doses of diphtheria (DPT) and measles immunization) were examined by geographical (Han district/county vs. ethnic minority county) and individual-based (Han women/children vs. ethnic minority women/children) comparisons. We also examined variation by distance to township and county hospitals, women's education, parity and age using weighted multilevel Poisson regressions with random intercept at district/county level. RESULTS: Ethnic inequalities in maternal care were marked, both at the geographical (district/county) and the individual level. The % of births in hospital was 90.7% among women in Han districts, compared to 83.3% among women living in Han counties (crude RR 0.93; 95% CI 0.75-1.15), 53.8% among Han women living in ethnic minority counties (crude RR 0.57; 95% CI 0.36-0.93), and 13.5% among ethnic minority women living in ethnic minority counties (crude RR 0.18; 95% CI 0.06-0.57). Adjusting the analysis for survey year, education, parity and distance to county level hospital weakened the association between geographical/individual ethnicity and uptake of maternity care, but associations remained remarkably strong. Coverage of childhood immunization was much higher than uptake of maternity care, and inequalities by ethnicity were much less pronounced. CONCLUSION: Lessons can be learned from China's successful immunization programme to further reduce inequalities in access to maternity care among ethnic minority populations in remote areas. Bringing the services closer to the women's homes and strengthening health promotion from the township to the village level may encourage more women to seek antenatal care and give birth in hospital.

[Identifying Factors Associated with Visits to Doctors using a Multilevel Zero-inflated Poisson Model].

OBJECTIVE: To determine factors influencing patient visits to doctors using a multilevel zero-inflated Poisson model with count data with excessive zero. METHODS: The data in relation to rural health services collected in Sichuan Province as part of the Fifth National Health Service Survey (2013) were used in this study. A multilevel random intercept zero-inflated Poisson model was established to identify factors associated with visits to doctors in two weeks. RESULTS: The logistic regression showed that gender, age and presence of chronic diseases were the main factors associated with the likelihood of visiting doctors in two weeks. The Poisson regression revealed that travel time to the nearest medical facility, ethnicity, marital status and educational attainment were associated with numbers of visits to doctors in two weeks. CONCLUSION: Rural residents with a high level of education, unmarried, and living close to medical facility are more likely to visit doctors than others. The multilevel zero-inflated Poisson model can be used for analyzing data with zero extra.