Is pinworm infection still a public health concern among children in resource-rich regions? Trends in pinworm infection prevalence and associated factors among children in Hualien County, Taiwan: a retrospective cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: Enterobius vermicularis (pinworm) is a common intestinal parasitic infection in children. A gradual decrease in the prevalence of pinworm infection has been noted in resource-rich settings, such as Taiwan. However, the influence of sociodemographic factors on the temporal trend in pinworm infection rates in children under the current pinworm infection prevention policy in Taiwan is not well characterized. This study aimed to evaluate the trend of pinworm infection prevalence and the associated factors among children in Hualien County, Taiwan. METHODOLOGY: In this retrospective cross-sectional study, we included a total of 56,197 students (aged 6-10 years) in grades 1 and 4 in Hualien in 2009-2018. Children were screened for pinworm infection using adhesive cellophane perianal swabs in the routine student health examination. Logistic regression was conducted to evaluate the factors associated with pinworm infection. Associations between dependent and independent variables were measured by odds ratios. The Cochran-Armitage test was used to assess whether there were significant trends in different stratifications. Variables with P-values < 0.05 were considered statistically significant. RESULTS: A total of 56,197 school-age children from grades 1 and 4 during 2009-2018 were included. Young age and male sex were risk factors for pinworm infection (P < 0.001). A negative correlation between body mass index and enterobiasis was observed, and decreased pinworm infection was noted during the study reference period. Children living in suburban and rural areas had higher odds of having a pinworm infection than those living in urban areas (P < 0.001). A significant decrease in the overall prevalence rate of pinworm infection was observed among children in 2009-2018 (P < 0.001). However, there was no obvious change in the pinworm infection rate in rural areas during this period (P = 0.953), and it was higher than that in urban and suburban areas. CONCLUSIONS: The overall prevalence of pinworm infection gradually decreased from 2009 to 2018 among school-age children in Hualien. However, there was no declining trend in pinworm infection in rural areas. Young age, male sex, and rural residence were significantly associated with pinworm infection. Pinworm infection remains a major public health concern among children in rural areas of Hualien.

Valine-279 Deletion-Mutation on Arginine Vasopressin Receptor 2 Causes Obstruction in G-Protein Binding Site: A Clinical Nephrogenic Diabetes Insipidus Case and Its Sub-Molecular Pathogenic Analysis.

Congenital nephrogenic diabetes insipidus (CNDI) is a genetic disorder caused by mutations in arginine vasopressin receptor 2 (AVPR2) or aquaporin 2 genes, rendering collecting duct cells insensitive to the peptide hormone arginine vasopressin stimulation for water reabsorption. This study reports a first identified AVPR2 mutation in Taiwan and demonstrates our effort to understand the pathogenesis caused by applying computational structural analysis tools. The CNDI condition of an 8-month-old male patient was confirmed according to symptoms, family history, and DNA sequence analysis. The patient was identified to have a valine 279 deletion-mutation in the AVPR2 gene. Cellular experiments using mutant protein transfected cells revealed that mutated AVPR2 is expressed successfully in cells and localized on cell surfaces. We further analyzed the pathogenesis of the mutation at sub-molecular levels via long-term molecular dynamics (MD) simulations and structural analysis. The MD simulations showed while the structure of the extracellular ligand-binding domain remains unchanged, the mutation alters the direction of dynamic motion of AVPR2 transmembrane helix 6 toward the center of the G-protein binding site, obstructing the binding of G-protein, thus likely disabling downstream signaling. This study demonstrated that the computational approaches can be powerful tools for obtaining valuable information on the pathogenesis induced by mutations in G-protein-coupled receptors. These methods can also be helpful in providing clues on potential therapeutic strategies for CNDI.

Comparison of Growth Velocity Among School Age Children With Different Body Mass Index From Childhood Into Early Adolescence in Hualien County, Taiwan: A Retrospective Cohort Study.

Objective: This study aimed to investigate the contribution of high body mass index (BMI) to growth velocity among school-aged children who remained in the same BMI categories for a 6-year period. Methods: This retrospective cohort study included children who enrolled in the school year 2009 and remained in the same BMI categories during their 1st, 4th, and 7th grades (6-7, 9-10, 12-13 years of age). Annual linear growth velocity and weight gain were calculated and compared between sexes, BMI groups, and different times. Risk analysis and repeated measures analysis of variance were performed to identify the impact of BMI on growth velocity. Results: Of the 1,637 subjects, 53.0% were male, and 2.5% and 10.9% belonged to BMI groups of overweight and obese, respectively. In students between 6 and 13 years of age, obesity was associated with higher annual weight gain and height gain. Risk analysis showed that obese subjects had higher linear growth velocity than normal BMI groups of both sexes between 6 and 9 years of age. Unexpectedly, overweight and obese girls between 9 and 13 years of age had less linear growth velocity than underweight girls at the same interval. Repeated measures analysis of variance in both sexes showed a significant statistical association between BMI and different times of growth. However, the effect was less in girls between 9 and 13 years of age. Conclusion: Puberty may dominate over BMI as the main contributor to high growth velocity in girls with underweight BMI emerging into pubertal age.

Association between constipation and childhood nocturnal enuresis in Taiwan: a population-based matched case-control study.

BACKGROUND: The relationship between constipation and childhood nocturnal enuresis (NE) has been previously reported; however, this relationship remains controversial. The present study aimed to evaluate the association between constipation and childhood NE. METHODS: Data from the Longitudinal Health Insurance Database 2000 (LHID 2000) of Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database from 2000 to 2013 were collected. A total of 2286 children were enrolled in this study: a case group of 1143 children aged 5-18 years who were diagnosed with NE (NE group) and an age- and sex-matched control group of 1143 children without NE. Conditional logistic regression and odds ratio (OR) for NE were used to examine the association between constipation and childhood NE. RESULTS: The prevalence of NE in the case group (NE group, aged 5-18 years) was 1.03% from 2000 to 2013. The NE group had a higher percentage of constipation in 1 year before the diagnosis of NE. After stratification for sex, both boys and girls with constipation had higher OR for NE. With stratification for age, children aged 5-12 and 7-12 years had a higher OR for NE. CONCLUSIONS: Constipation is associated with childhood NE in Taiwan, particularly in children aged 5-7 and 7-12 years.