Causal effects of later-eating rhythm on adiposity in children through the comparison of two cohorts in the UK and China: a cross-cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Later-eating rhythm (LER) refers to a later timing, greater energy intake, and higher meal frequency in the evening. The role of childhood LER in obesity development is emerging, but most evidence is cross-sectional. Cross-context comparison allows the improvement of causal inference in observational studies by comparing cohorts with different confounding structures. This method is applied to assess the causal effects of LER on adiposity, by exploring the likelihood of residual confounding due to socioeconomic status. METHODS: In this cross-cohort analysis, we used ongoing birth cohort data from the UK Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC) established in 1991, and the nationally representative China Health and Nutrition Survey (CHNS) collected in 1989-2011. Children with available data at age 7 years were eligible. We applied indices of inequality for assessing confounding structure by regressing LER/adiposity on the standardised score of socioeconomic status (SES) in each cohort. We used multivariable linear and binary logistic regressions to model cross-sectional and prospective associations between LER at 7 years of age and body-mass index (BMI) at ages 7 and 9 years in both cohorts. Analyses were adjusted by age, sex, ethnicity, residency, and socioeconomic status. We used a p value for the Cochrane Q-test obtained from meta-analysis to test for heterogeneity between cohorts. FINDINGS: We analysed data from 4019 children (2170 [54·0%] female; 1849 [46.0%] male) in ALSPAC and 1749 (788 [45·1%] female; 961 [54.9%] male) in CHNS. The associations between SES and LER or adiposity differed between ALSPAC and CHNS (SES and energy intake for evening main meal: b=1·81 [95% CI 0·81 to 2·81] vs -3·02 [-4·76 to -1·27]; SES and frequency of evening snacks: odds ratio [OR]=0·51 [95% CI 0·41-0·63] vs 5·71 [3·54-9·22]; SES and BMI: b=-0·42 [-0·65 to -0·18] vs 1·29 [0·75 to 1·84]). Positive associations between frequency of evening snacks and BMI were seen in both cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses in both cohorts (mean change of BMI with 1 day increase of consuming evening snacks b=0·09 [0·02 to 0·15]; 0·13 [0·03 to 0·22] kg/m2 per day in ALSPAC, and b=0·11 [-0·07 to 0·28]; 0·30 [0·07 to 0·52] kg/m2 per day in CHNS). No associations were found for energy intake. p values for heterogeneity ranged from 0·107 to 0·932. INTERPRETATION: Both cohorts showed consistent results despite varied dietary cultures and SES patterning of LER or adiposity. Energy intake in the evening or night was not associated with adiposity, whereas evening snacking was. More recent, high-quality cohorts are warranted to enhance the strength of the conclusions. FUNDING: None.

Feasibility and safety of a percutaneous and non-fluoroscopic procedure for left atrial appendage closure in patients for whom fluoroscopy presents risk: a cohort study.

Background: Most patients undergoing left atrial appendage closure (LAAC) are older adult individuals with atrial fibrillation (AF) and many comorbidities, which may elevate the risk for complications associated with contrast agents with the fluoroscopic image-guided procedure. This retrospective cohort study of patients with AF at high risk for use of contrast agents compared the feasibility and safety of LAAC using percutaneous and non-fluoroscopic procedure with transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) as the only image guidance relative to those under fluoroscopic image guidance. Methods: In this retrospective study, we enrolled 126 patients with AF who underwent LAAC from September 2017 to December 2020. Patients were divided into 2 groups based on the imaging guidance modality: a TEE group (n=32) and a fluoroscopic group (n=94). We analyzed the differences in complete closure rates and device- and procedure-related complications between the 2 groups. Continuous variables were assessed using the Student t-test or Mann-Whitney test, while categorical variables were evaluated using Pearson chi-squared test or Fisher exact test. Propensity-score matching was used to adjust for baseline differences. Results: Propensity-score matching yielded 25 pairs of patients with similarly distributed age (72.9±6.9 vs. 73.1±4.9 years; P=0.925), gender (10:15 vs. 11:14; P>0.99), weight (68.3±11.2 vs. 68.1±12.3 kg; P=0.948), and alanine aminotransferase level (20.0±9.8 vs. 22.5±14.2 U/L; P=0.482). The LAA was successfully occluded in all patients, and the TEE group showed similar results to the fluoroscopic group in terms of success rate (100% vs. 100%; P>0.99) and hospitalization duration [5.0 (IQ1-IQ3: 3.0-7.0) vs. 5.0 (IQ1-IQ3: 3.0-6.0) days; P=0.498]. The groups also demonstrated comparable complication rates, with 1 (4.2%) case of pericardial effusion and 1 (4.2%) case of residual shunt in the TEE group, and 5 (20%) cases of residual shunt, 1 (4.2%) case of pericardial effusion, 1 (4.2%) case of myocardial infarction, and 1 (4.2%) case of access-related complications in the fluoroscopic group. There were no deaths. The overall incidence rate of procedure-related complications (6.2% vs. 18.1%, P=0.153) at mean 22.2±4.5 months follow-up between the 2 groups was similar. Conclusions: In patients with AF of high risk for use of contrast agents, LAAC under non-fluoroscopic guidance appears feasible and safe with similar outcomes to that under fluoroscopic guidance.

Influencing factors of prognosis in children with pulmonary atresia with intact ventricle septum after transthoracic balloon dilation of pulmonary valve and construction of a nomograph prediction model.

This study aimed to identify factors that affect the prognosis of children with pulmonary valve atresia and intact ventricular septum treated with transthoracic balloon dilation of the pulmonary valve. The study included 148 participants who were followed up for 5 years. Of these, 10 died, while 138 survived. Independent sample t-test and χ2 test were used to analyze clinical data of children in the death and survival groups. It was found that height, weight, body surface area, arterial oxygen saturation, degree of tricuspid regurgitation, pulmonary valve cross valve pressure difference, ICU length of stay, length of stay, reoperation intervention, and complications were statistically significant (P<0.05). ROC curve analysis of the measurement indicators with statistically significant differences showed that height, weight, body surface area, arterial oxygen saturation, ICU length of stay, and length of stay had AUCs ranging from 0.723 to 0.870. Logistic regression analysis revealed that the degree of tricuspid regurgitation, pulmonary valve cross valvular pressure difference, ICU length of stay, reoperation intervention, and complications were independent risk factors that affect the prognosis of patients with PA/IVS undergoing transthoracic balloon dilation of pulmonary valve. The study proposed a nomogram prediction model using R language software 4.0 "rms" package, which was validated using calibration curve and decision curve. The model had a C-index of 0.667 (95% CI: 0.643-0.786) and high degree of fit. This study provides clinicians with a prediction model to identify children with poor prognosis after treatment with transpulmonary valve balloon dilatation. .

Residual or recurrent obstruction after septal myectomy in young children and infants with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy: cohort study.

BACKGROUND: The outcomes after septal myectomy in young children and infants with hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy (HOCM) are not clear. The study sought to report the outcomes after septal myectomy in young children and infants and identify the mechanisms of residual or recurrent obstruction after surgery. METHODS: The authors performed an observational cohort study of children and infants under the age of 14 who underwent septal myectomy for HCOM from January 2013 to December 2020. Mean follow-up among 94.3% ( n =50) of hospital survivors was 42.09±24.38 months. RESULTS: In total, 56 children and infants [mean (SD) age, 5.38 (3.78) years; 29 (58.1%) were male] underwent septal myectomy for HOCM. Cumulative survival was 100, 96.6, 93.0, and 81.4% at 1, 3, 5, and 7 years, respectively, among hospital survivors. The incidence of residual and recurrent obstruction was 14.3% (8/56) and 13.0% (6/46), respectively. The mechanisms of residual obstruction were identified as subaortic obstruction caused by inadequacy of previous septal excision in two patients, midventricular obstruction caused by inadequacy of septal excision in five patients, and untreated abnormal papillary muscles in one patient. Recurrent obstruction was caused by isolated midventricular obstruction ( n =4) and newly emerged systolic anterior motion (SAM)-related subaortic obstruction combining abnormal mitral valve apparatus ( n =2). Residual or recurrent obstruction was associated with age less than 2 years at surgery (OR=6.157, 95% CI: 1.487-25.487, P =0.012) and biventricular outflow obstruction (OR=6.139, 95% CI: 1.292-29.172, P =0.022). Recurrent obstruction was associated with age less than 2 years at surgery (OR=6.976, 95% CI: 1.233-39.466, P =0.028). CONCLUSIONS: Septal myectomy is still effective and safe in young children and infants. The rate of residual or recurrent obstruction with diverse causes is relatively high, which is more likely to occur in children aged less than 2 years at surgery and those with biventricular obstruction.

The association between later eating rhythm and adiposity in children and adolescents: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

CONTEXT: Childhood adiposity, an important predictor of adult chronic disease, has been rising dramatically. Later eating rhythm, termed night eating, is increasing in adults but rarely studied in younger ages. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to review the association between later eating rhythm and adiposity in children and adolescents. The aspects of later eating being considered included: energy intake (for evening main meal, evening snack, whole evening period, and around bedtime); timing (any food eaten at later timing); and meal frequency in the evening/night (evening main meal skipping, evening snack consumption). DATA SOURCES: Five databases (the Cochrane Library, CINAHL, Embase, MEDLINE (via OVID), and Web of Science) were searched for eligible articles published prior to and including August 2020. DATA EXTRACTION: Data extraction and quality assessment were conducted by 2 reviewers independently. DATA ANALYSIS: Forty-seven studies were included, all of which were observational. Meta-analysis showed positive associations between both higher energy intake around bedtime (odds ratio [OR] 1.19, 95% CI 1.06, 1.33) and evening main meal skipping (OR 1.30, 95% CI 1.14, 1.48), and adiposity. There was evidence to suggest that consuming evening snacks reduced adiposity, but it was very weak (OR 0.80, 95% CI 0.62, 1.05). No association was seen between eating later and adiposity (OR 1.04, 95% CI 0.68, 1.61). In the narrative analysis, approximately half of the studies suggested that there was no association between later eating rhythm and adiposity, either as a whole or within exposure subsets. CONCLUSION: The magnitude of the relationship between later eating rhythm and adiposity is very small, and may vary depending on which aspects of later eating rhythm are under consideration; however, the evidence for this conclusion is of very low certainty . Further research with a more consistent definition of "later timing", and longitudinal studies in different populations, may lead to different conclusions. SYSTEMATIC REVIEW REGISTRATION: PROSPERO registration no. CRD42019134187.

Epidemiological Research of Microtia Combined With Congenital Heart Disease.

SUMMARY: Congenital heart disease (CHD) is one of the most common combined malformations of microtia. There is currently no specific study that investigates the relationship between microtia and CHD. METHODS: This study collected microtia inpatients admitted from May 1, 2015 to July 31, 2016. The diagnosis of CHD was based on patient's symptoms, past history, and echocardiography. Pearson χ2 test was used to analyze the correlation between CHD and microtia. RESULTS: A total of 30 cases (3.35%) were documented with CHD, including atrial septal defect (12/40.00%), ventricular septal defect (7/23.30%), patent ductus arteriosus (2/6.70%), complex congenital heart disease (3/10.00%), combined CHD (2/6.70%) and other malformations (4/13.30%). Analysis showed no statistically significant relation between CHD and the side of affected ear or gender. CONCLUSIONS: The occurrence of CHD in microtia patients was higher than that in the general population. The relationship between them was explored mainly from the etiological perspective. Microtia and CHD were often combined in syndromes such as Goldenhar syndrome, 22q11 deletion syndrome, and CHARGE syndrome. Absence of genes or abnormal embryo development associated with these syndromes leads to the occurrence of both.

Transcatheter Closure of Patent Ductus Arteriosus under Echocardiography Guidance: A Randomized Controlled Noninferiority Trial.

BACKGROUND: Percutaneous occlusion under fluoroscopy guidance has become the preferred method for the treatment of patent ductus arteriosus (PDA). To avoid radiation exposure and contrast agent use, PDA occlusion under transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) guidance was conducted. OBJECTIVES: We assessed the hypothesis that the success rate of percutaneous PDA occlusion under TTE was noninferior to that under fluoroscopy guidance. METHODS: In this single-center trial, 100 patients were randomly assigned in a 1 : 1 ratio to the TTE group (n = 50) or to the fluoroscopy group (n = 50). The primary endpoint was the success rate of occlusion, with the noninferiority margin set at 8% for the between-group difference in intention-to-treat analysis. Secondary endpoints were hospitalization duration, cost, procedure time, and rate of adverse events including occluder migration, hemolysis, peripheral vascular complications, and residual shunt at 1-month and 12-month follow-up. RESULTS: Patient, defect, and device characteristics were similarly distributed between groups. The success rate of occlusion was 98% for the TTE group and 100% for the fluoroscopy group (absolute difference: -2%; 95% confidence interval: -5.9% to 1.9%). Cost and procedure duration were significantly lower in the TTE group, without adverse events in either group at a median of 12.0 months (range, 10.0-15.5 months) of follow-up. CONCLUSION: Percutaneous PDA occlusion can be performed via TTE guidance safely and effectively, and the success rate of the TTE-guided procedure was noninferior to that under fluoroscopy guidance, with reduced cost and procedure time. The trial is registered with http://www.chictr.org.cn (ChiCTR-ICR-15006334).

Percutaneous transcatheter closure of atrial septal defect guided by transthoracic echocardiography in outpatients / 中国胸心血管外科临床杂志

@#Objective    To assess the feasibility and safety of percutaneous transcatheter closure of atrial septal defect (ASD) guided by transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) in outpatients. Methods    From December 2016 to June 2018, 50 simple ASD patients underwent TTE-guided transcatheter closure in the outpatient operating room of our hospital (a TTE group) including 22 males and 28 females at the age of 16-48 (27.40±6.95) years. Fifty patients with simple ASD treated with the guidance of conventional fluoroscopy during the same period were treated as a control group, including 22 males and 28 females at the age of 15-48 (28.58±6.96) years. Both groups were re-examined by TTE during follow-up at 1 month, 3 months, 6 months and 1 year. Results    The mean age, body weight, the size of ASD and occluder and success rate had no statistical difference between the two groups (P>0.05). Compared with the control group, the TTE group had significantly lower mean operation time (P<0.01) and less cost (P<0.01) since patients need not to be hospitalized. No related complications were found in the TTE group during follow-up. Conclusion    Percutaneous transcatheter closure of ASD guided by TTE appears safe and effective for outpatients, and can significantly reduce the cost.

The impact of later eating rhythm on childhood adiposity: protocol for a systematic review.

BACKGROUND: Childhood adiposity has increased dramatically in the last few decades and is an important predictor of adulthood chronic disease. Later eating rhythm, termed night eating (NE), is increasingly prevalent in adults; however, the prevalence of NE in children and relationship between NE and adiposity in children still remains uncertain. The aim of this work is to review the association between adiposity in children and adolescents and NE, in terms of calorie intake, timing and meal frequency in the evening/night. METHODS: The Cochrane library, CINAHL, Embase, MEDLINE (via OVID) and Web of Science databases will be searched from inception to November 2019 for randomised controlled trials (RCTs) and observational studies (cohort, cross-sectional and case-control studies) which investigate the association between later vs. earlier timing of food intake at night or relatively more vs. less energy intake in any eating occasions or time period after 4 pm on adiposity in children and adolescents (4-18 years). The outcomes will be body mass index (BMI)/BMI standard deviation score (BMI-SDS or BMI Z-score), waist circumference (WC), fat mass index (FMI)/percentage of body fat (%BF) or waist to hip ratio (WHR). No language restriction will be applied. Screening for eligibility from the title and abstracts and data extraction from the full texts will be carried out by two reviewers independently. References listed in the included studies will be hand-searched for any additional articles. The quality of included RCT studies will be assessed using Revised Cochrane Risk of Bias tool (RoB 2), and of observational studies using Newcastle Ottawa scale. A qualitative synthesis of the results will be presented, and meta-analysis will be conducted, where appropriate. DISCUSSION: The planned systematic review will investigate the association between later eating rhythm and adiposity in children and adolescents. Understanding the best meal size, timing of energy intake and meal frequency across the evening time for maintaining healthy weight in children is important in order to give parents the best advice to help prevent adulthood obesity and associated chronic diseases in their children. SYSTEMATIC REVIEW REGISTRATION: PROSPERO CRD42019134187.

Clinical investigation of percutaneous closure of patent ductus arteriosus under echocardiography guidance / 中国胸心血管外科临床杂志

@#Objective    To assess the efficacy and safety of percutaneous closure of patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) solely under echocardiography guidance. Methods    We retrospectively analyzed the clinical data of 200 patients who received the percutaneous closure of PDA under echocardiography guidance in Fuwai Hospital from August 2013 to April 2016. According the different approach, they were divided into 2 groups: a femoral artery approach group (n=143) and a femoral vein approach group (n=57). In the femoral artery approach group, there were 42 males and 101 females aged 3.20±5.63 years. In the femoral vein group, there were 10 males and 47 females aged 7.30±11.36 years. All Patients were treated by percutaneous PDA closure solely under echocardiography guidance. The follow-up was performed at one month after the operation by echocardiography, chest radiograph and electrocardiogram. Results    All 200 patients were successfully treated with percutaneous closure of PDA. The patients’ gender, in-hospital stay, rates of occluder  detachment were similar between the two groups (P>0.05). Compared with the femoral vein approach group, the femoral artery approach group had a younger age (3.20±5.63 years vs. 7.30±11.36 years, P<0.001), less body weight (14.25±11.54 kg vs. 24.25±19.14 kg, P<0.001) and shorter diameter of PDA (3.06±0.79 mm vs. 5.93±0.68 mm, P<0.001) and PDA occluders (5.43±1.00 mm vs. 12.14±0.54 mm, P<0.001), but had higher hospitalization expenses (32 108.2±3 100.2 yuan vs. 25 120.7±3 534.1 yuan, P<0.001). In the femoral vein approach group, one patient was closed under radiation guidance because guide wires could not pass through PDA. One patient in the femoral artery approach group suffered from occluder detachment at one day after operation and was cured by transthoracic minimally invasive PDA occlusion. There were no complications of occluder detachment, residual shunt, pericardial effusion or left pulmonary stenosis during the follow-up. Conclusion    Echocardiography-guided percutaneous PDA closure is safe and effective, while the proper interventional approach should be chosen by the anatomical features of PDA.