[Clinical features of coronavirus disease 2019 in children aged <18 years in Jiangxi, China: an analysis of 23 cases].

OBJECTIVE: To study the clinical features of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in children aged <18 years. METHODS: A retrospective analysis was performed from the medical data of 23 children, aged from 3 months to 17 years and 8 months, who were diagnosed with COVID-19 in Jiangxi, China from January 21 to February 29, 2020. RESULTS: Of the 23 children with COVID-19, 17 had family aggregation. Three children (13%) had asymptomatic infection, 6 (26%) had mild type, and 14 (61%) had common type. Among these 23 children, 16 (70%) had fever, 11 (48%) had cough, 8 (35%) had fever and cough, and 8 (35%) had wet rales in the lungs. The period from disease onset or the first nucleic acid-positive detection of SARS-CoV-2 to the virus nucleic acid negative conversion was 6-24 days (median 12 days). Of the 23 children, 3 had a reduction in total leukocyte count, 2 had a reduction in lymphocytes, 2 had an increase in C-reactive protein, and 2 had an increase in D-dimer. Abnormal pulmonary CT findings were observed in 12 children, among whom 9 had patchy ground-glass opacities in both lungs. All 23 children received antiviral therapy and were recovered. CONCLUSIONS: COVID-19 in children aged <18 years often occurs with family aggregation, with no specific clinical manifestation and laboratory examination results. Most of these children have mild symptoms and a good prognosis. Epidemiological history is of particular importance in the diagnosis of COVID-19 in children aged <18 years.

[DNA repair gene XRCC3 Thr241Met polymorphism and susceptibility to cardia and non-cardia gastric cancer: a case-control study].

OBJECTIVE: To study the association between genetic polymorphisms of XRCC3 Thr241Met gene and susceptibility to gastric cardia and/non-cardia gastric cancer, and to investigate the combined effect between genes and surrounding environment. METHODS: A case-control study with respective control group was conducted. Genotypes were investigated by PCR-RFLP. Unconditional logistic regression models were used to estimate odd ratios (ORs) and their 95% confidence intervals(95% CI). RESULTS: The frequency of XRCC3 CC, CT and TT genotypes were 43.2%, 46.5% and 10.3%, respectively in cardia cancer cases and 53.2%, 40.9% and 5.8% respectively in non-cardia gastric cancer cases while 59.6%, 35.1%, 5.3%, respectively in control group. Variated genotypes (CT and TT) increased the risk of cardia cancer after adjusting for potential confounders (OR = 1.76, 95% CI: 1.07-2.90). On cardia cancer risks, there seemed combined effects between variated genotype and high rate of alcohol drinking, low intake of fresh vegetables and having chronic gastritis. Combined effects between variated genotype and smoking, having chronic gastritis were observed in non-gastric cancer group. CONCLUSION: XRCC3 variated genotype was one of the risk factors of cardia cancer while different risks of factors might exsit between cardia and non-cardia gastric cancer.

Cytochrome p450 2E1 polymorphisms and the risk of gastric cardia cancer.

AIM: Genetic polymorphisms of drug-metabolizing enzymes have recently been shown to affect susceptibility to chemical carcinogenesis. Cytochrome P450 2E1 (CYP2E1) enzyme catalyzes the metabolism of many procarcinogens, such as N-nitrosamines and related compounds. The gene coding for this enzyme is polymorphic and thus may play a role in gastric cardia cancer (GCC) etiology. In this hospital-based case-control study, we evaluate the relationship between genetic polymorphisms of CYP2E1 and the risk of GCC. METHODS: The study subjects comprised 159 histologically confirmed GCC cases identified via hospital cancer registry and surgical records at five hospitals in Fuzhou, Fujian Province, China, between April and November 2001. Controls were 192 patients admitted to the same hospitals for nonmalignant conditions. The genotypes of CYP2E1 were detected by a PCR-based RFLP assay. The odds ratios were estimated by logistic regression analyses and were adjusted for potential confounding factors. RESULTS: The distribution of three genotypes of CYP2E1 in GCC cases and controls was significantly different (chi(2) = 16.04, P<0.01). The frequency of the CYP2E1 (c1/c1) genotype in GCC cases and controls was 60.4% and 40.1%, respectively. The CYP2E1 (c1/c1) genotype was associated with an increased risk for GCC (the adjusted (OR) was 2.37, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.52-3.70). Subjects who carried the CYP2E1 (c1/c1) genotype and were habitual smokers were at a significantly higher risk of developing GCC (OR = 4.68, 95%CI: 2.19-10.04) compared with those who had the CYP2E1 (c1/c2 or c2/c2) genotype and did not smoke. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that the CYP2E1 genotype may influence individual susceptibility to development of GCC, and that the risk increases significantly in smokers.

Risk factors for the gastric cardia cancer: a case-control study in Fujian Province.

AIM: The incidence of gastric cardia cancer has greatly increased in the past 2-3 decades, however, the risk factors for the disease are still not clearly understood. The investigations among Chinese population on the risk factors of gastric cardia cancer were also scarcely reported. We therefore conducted a case-control study in Fujian province, China, to investigate the potential risk and protective factors of this disease. METHODS: 191 cardia and 190 non-cardia gastric cancer cases, and a total of 222 control cases were included in this study. Standard questionnaires were used in collecting epidemiological factors and the data were then analyzed by the unconditional logistic regression model. RESULTS: As the factors such as age, gender, smoking, alcohol consumption, and family history of gastric cancer were controlled, a multivariable analysis was conducted, which revealed that there was a significant correlation between the dietary habits such as irregular meal, over and fast eating, and the gastric cardia cancer with the odds ratios (ORs) of 4.2 (95 % confidence interval: 2.3-7.7), 4.7 (2.1-10.8), and 2.7 (1.3-5.3) respectively. Other correlations were also observed between the gastric cardia cancer and the consumption of salty fish or pickled vegetable, smoking, and the family cancer history with the ORs of 5.5 (1.4-19.5), 1.8 (1.0-3.0), 2.1 (1.3-3.5), and 3.8 (2.3-6.2) respectively. In contrast, the negative correlations were found existing between the intake of fresh vegetables and fruits, the use of refrigerator, and the gastric cardia cancer, with the ORs of 0.4 (0.2-0.9), 0.2 (0.1-0.5), and 0.2 (0.1-0.4), respectively. However, dietary habits were associated less with non-cardia gastric cancer compared with its cardia counterpart. CONCLUSION: Dietary habits might be one of the risk factors for the cardia carcinogenesis among Chinese population.