Research progress on the diagnostic reference level for CT examination in children / 中国辐射卫生

Computed tomography (CT) examination may expose patients to a high radiation dose. The reduction of radiation dose in pediatric CT examinations is becoming increasingly important. The diagnostic reference level (DRL) is a practical tool that can achieve optimization of protection and reduce radiation dose in pediatric CT examinations. This article provides a brief summary of the concept, development methods, current situations by country, and issues related to the DRL in pediatric CT examinations, aiming to provide a references for radiation protection optimization in pediatric CT examinations in China.

Characteristics of missed ultrasound diagnosis of infant biliary atresia / 中国医学影像技术

Objective To observe the characteristics of infant biliary atresia(BA)missed diagnosis by ultrasound.Methods Data of 72 BA infants missed by ultrasound(false-negative,group A),72 BA infants accurately diagnosed by ultrasound(true-positive,group B)and 72 non BA infants(controls,group C)were retrospectively analyzed.Clinical and ultrasonic features were compared between each 2 groups.Logistic regression analysis was performed to screen the impact factors for diagnosing and missed-diagnosing of BA.Results There were significant differences of total bilirubin,direct bilirubin,gamma glutamyl transpeptidase(GGT)and glutamic-oxaloacetic transaminase(GOT)between group A and C,also of total bilirubin,direct bilirubin and GGT between group B and C(all P＜0.05).Significant differences of the incidences of small gallbladder,gallbladder wall rigidity,poor gallbladder contraction function and fibrous plaques in the hepatic hilum were found between group A and B,of undetected or cystic changes in the gallbladder,gallbladder wall rigidity,poor gallbladder contraction function,fibrous plaques in the hepatic hilum and hepatic hilum cysts were noticed between group A and C(all P＜0.05),as well as of undetected or cystic changes in the gallbladder,small gallbladder,gallbladder wall rigidity,gallbladder wall thickening,poor gallbladder contraction function and fibrous plaques in the hepatic hilum were detected between group B and C(all P＜0.05).There were significant differences of display rate of common bile duct between each 2 groups(all P＜0.05).The lower incidence of fibrous plaques in the hepatic hilum and poor gallbladder contraction function were an impact factors for missed diagnosis of BA(both P＜0.05),while higher GGT,higher incidence of fibrous plaques in the hepatic hilum and poor gallbladder contraction function were all impact factors for diagnosis of BA in group A(all P＜0.05).Conclusion Infant BA missed diagnosis by ultrasound had lower incidence of fibrous plaques in the hepatic hilum and poor gallbladder contractile function.Combining with clinical data was helpful for reducing ultrasonic missed diagnosis of BA in infants.

Early Detection and Diagnosis of Biliary Atresia in Neonates / 中国医学影像学杂志

Biliary atresia is a severe chronic liver disease in infancy that manifests as destructive inflammatory obstructive cholangiopathy.Recent evidence supports that early Kasai procedure by 30 days of life achieves the greatest likelihood of slowing or preventing the need for liver transplant in biliary atresia patients.Unfortunately,the average age at the time of Kasai procedure is around 60 days of life both in China and abroad.The primary reason for this is that there are many difficulties and challenges in early diagnosis.For example,age stratification should be considered when using GGT levels as a screening tool for biliary atresia in infant less than 30 days.What's more,imaging modality such as US shows lower accuracy in very early stage due to milder pathological change in biliary tract,which post challenges on precision medicine and improving prognosis.This article reviewed different early diagnostic methods of screening for biliary atresia,so as to provide a reference for the early diagnosis of biliary atresia,and help discuss the potential development prospect and research direction in the future.

Value of ultrasound gray ratio analysis in monitoring intracranial basal ganglia of neonates with hyperbilirubinemia / 中华超声影像学杂志

Objective:To investigate the value of cranial ultrasound (CUS) globus pallidus to putamen gray ratio(G/P) in monitoring basal ganglia of neonatal hyperbilirubinemia.Methods:A retrospective analysis was performed on the CUS, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI, 46 cases) and clinical data of 69 neonates hospitalized in the Department of Neonatology of Children′s Hospital Affiliated to Capital Institute of Pediatrics from June 2022 to June 2023. UpToDate calculator was used to calculate the reference thresholds of phototherapy for each child, combined with the 342 μmol/L node value, the children were divided into control group, mild to moderate hyperbilirubinemia group and severe hyperbilirubinemia group; RadiAnt DICOM Viewer software was used to measure the ultrasound gray values of bilateral globus pallidus and putamen, and the ratio CUS (G/P) was calculated; MRI post-processing workstation was used to read T1 signal values of bilateral globus pallidus and putamen, and the ratio MRI (G/P) was calculated. The correlations between CUS (G/P) and total serum bilirubin (TSB)/ phototherapy threshold and TSB/ albumin ratio were analyzed; the consistency of CUS (G/P) and MRI (G/P) was analyzed; the difference of CUS (G/P) among control group, light-moderate hyperbilirubinemia group and severe hyperbilirubinemia group was compared.Results:①CUS (G/P) was positively correlated with TSB/ phototherapy threshold and TSB/albumin ( rs=0.721, 0.600, all P<0.001). ②CUS (G/P) value was consistent with MRI (G/P) value (τ=0.743, P<0.05). ③CUS(G/P) value increased sequentially in the control group, mild-moderate hyperbilirubinemia group, and severe hyperbilirubinemia group, and the differences between each two groups were statistically significant (all P<0.05). Conclusions:CUS (G/P) has dose-response relationship with TSB, diagnostic agreement with MRI (G/P) value, and shows differences in different levels of bilirubin, and can be used to monitor intracranial basal ganglia in neonatal hyperbilirubinemia.

Functional characterization of rice (Oryza sativa) thioredoxins for detoxification and degradation of atrazine.

Thioredoxins (TRXs) are a group of antioxidant enzymes that play a critical role in plant growth and resistance to stress. However, the functional role and mechanism of rice TRXs in response to pesticides (e.g. atrazine, ATZ) stress remain largely unexplored. Here, 24 differentially expressed TRX genes (14 up and 10 down) of ATZ-exposed rice were identified through high-throughput RNA-sequencing analysis. Twenty-four TRX genes were unevenly mapped to 11 chromosomes and some of the genes were validated by quantitative RT-PCR. Bioinformatics analysis revealed that ATZ-responsive TRX genes contain multiple functional cis-elements and conserved domains. To demonstrate the functional role of the genes in ATZ degradation, one representative TRX gene LOC_Os07g08840 was transformed into yeast cells and observed significantly lower ATZ content compared to the control. Using LC-Q-TOF-MS/MS, five metabolites were characterized. One hydroxylation (HA) and two N-dealkylation products (DIA and DEA) were significantly increased in the medium with positive transformants. Our work indicated that TRX-coding genes here were responsible for ATZ degradation, suggesting that thioredoxins could be one of the vital strategies for pesticide degradation and detoxification in crops.

Analysis of occupational health examination results of radiation workers in Dezhou, China / 中国辐射卫生

Objective To investigate the occupational health status of radiation workers in Dezhou, China, explore the effects of low-dose ionizing radiation on the health of radiation workers, and provide a basis for improving the health of radiation workers. Methods A total of 1101 radiation workers in Dezhou who underwent occupational health examination in 2021 were selected. The effects of physical examination type, type of work, sex, length of service, and age on the health status of radiation workers were compared and analyzed. Results The abnormal rates of abdominal color Doppler ultrasound and eye lens were significantly higher in pre-post radiation workers than in radiation works (P < 0.05). The abnormal rates of eye lens increased with the length of service in radiation workers (P < 0.05). The abnormal rate of abdominal color Doppler ultrasound in male workers was higher than that in female workers, while the abnormal rates of blood routine and thyroid function were higher in female workers than in male workers (P < 0.05). Conclusion The abdominal rates of color Doppler ultrasound and eye lens are relatively high among radiation workers in Dezhou. It is necessary to improve the protection awareness and strengthen the level of radiation protection, so as to ensure the occupational health of radiation workers.

Automated Classification of Inherited Retinal Diseases in Optical Coherence Tomography Images Using Few-shot Learning / 生物医学与环境科学（英文）

OBJECTIVE@#To develop a few-shot learning (FSL) approach for classifying optical coherence tomography (OCT) images in patients with inherited retinal disorders (IRDs).@*METHODS@#In this study, an FSL model based on a student-teacher learning framework was designed to classify images. 2,317 images from 189 participants were included. Of these, 1,126 images revealed IRDs, 533 were normal samples, and 658 were control samples.@*RESULTS@#The FSL model achieved a total accuracy of 0.974-0.983, total sensitivity of 0.934-0.957, total specificity of 0.984-0.990, and total F1 score of 0.935-0.957, which were superior to the total accuracy of the baseline model of 0.943-0.954, total sensitivity of 0.866-0.886, total specificity of 0.962-0.971, and total F1 score of 0.859-0.885. The performance of most subclassifications also exhibited advantages. Moreover, the FSL model had a higher area under curves (AUC) of the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves in most subclassifications.@*CONCLUSION@#This study demonstrates the effective use of the FSL model for the classification of OCT images from patients with IRDs, normal, and control participants with a smaller volume of data. The general principle and similar network architectures can also be applied to other retinal diseases with a low prevalence.

Physical growth and neurodevelopment of preterm infants at the corrected age of 18-24 months / 中国当代儿科杂志

OBJECTIVES@#To investigate the levels of physical growth and neurodevelopment in preterm infants at the corrected age of 18-24 months.@*METHODS@#The physical growth data and neurodevelopment data of 484 preterm infants at corrected age of 18-24 months were prospectively collected by a post-discharge follow-up system for preterm infants. The infants were regularly followed up in Shenzhen Bao'an Maternal and Child Health Hospital Affiliated to Jinan University from April 2018 to December 2021. The neurodevelopment was evaluated by the Children Neuropsychological and Behavioral Scale-Revision 2016. A total of 219 full-term infants served as controls. The infants were divided into groups (extremely preterm, very preterm, moderate late preterm, and full-term) based on gestational age, and the groups were compared in the levels of physical growth and neurodevelopment.@*RESULTS@#Except that the moderate preterm group had a higher length-for-age Z-score than the full-term group (P=0.038), there was no significant difference in physical growth indicators between the preterm groups and the full-term group (P>0.05). Each preterm group had a significantly lower total developmental quotient (DQ) than the full-term group (P<0.05). Except for the social behavior domain, the DQ of other domains in the extremely preterm and very preterm groups was significantly lower than that in the full-term group (P<0.05). The <32 weeks preterm group had a significantly higher incidence rate of global developmental delay than the full-term group (16.7% vs 6.4%, P=0.012), and the incidence rate of global developmental delay tended to increase with the reduction in gestational age (P=0.026).@*CONCLUSIONS@#Preterm infants can catch up with full-term infants in terms of physical growth at the corrected age of 18-24 months, but with a lower neurodevelopmental level than full-term infants. Neurodevelopment monitoring and early intervention should be taken seriously for preterm infants with a gestational age of <32 weeks.

Analysis of radiation dose and influencing factors during interventional procedures for 94 patients with pediatric congenital heart disease / 中国辐射卫生

Objective To evaluate the radiation dose of interventional procedure for children with congenital heart disease, and to analyze the differences in radiation dose and influencing factors. Methods A total of 94 children who underwent interventional procedure for congenital heart disease at a grade A tertiary hospital in Jinan, Shandong Province, China from June 2021 to September 2022 were included in this study. The patients were divided into three groups according to the type of procedure: ventricular septal defect occlusion group (VSD, 48 cases), patent ductus arteriosus occlusion group (PDA, 29 cases), and atrial septal defect occlusion group (ASD, 17 cases). The basic information of patients and postoperative dose reports were recorded. A statistical analysis was performed using SPSS software. Results The median cumulative air kerma (CAK) of VSD, PDA, and ASD was 100.5, 43.7, and 12.1 mGy, respectively. The median air kerma area product (KAP) of VSD, PDA, and ASD was 3.309, 1.313, and 0.540 Gy·cm2, respectively. The median KAP·kg−1 of VSD, PDA, and ASD was 0.179, 0.088, and 0.031 Gy·cm2·kg−1, respectively. There were significant differences in fluoroscopy time, number of cine images, CAK, KAP, and KAP·kg−1 among the three types of interventional procedures (P<0.05). Compared with PDA and ASD, VSD showed significantly higher fluoroscopy time, number of cine images, CAK, KAP, and KAP·kg−1 (P<0.05). Multiple linear regression analysis found that age (B=52.445, P<0.05), weight (B=13.077, P<0.05), fluoroscopy time (B=0.425, P<0.05), tube current (B=0.872, P<0.05), and number of cine images (B=0.660, P<0.05) were positively correlated with KAP, while there was no significant association between height and KAP (P>0.05). Conclusion There are differences in radiation dose among the three types of procedures. Reducing fluoroscopy time, tube current, and number of cine images while meeting the procedure requirements is of great significance for reducing the radiation dose received by children.

Genetic evidence for the onset and development of myopia / 中华实验眼科杂志

Myopia is a common refractive eye disease, which is an ametropia in which the spherical equivalent of the eye is less than or equal to -0.50 D, or the axial length of the eye is more than 24 mm.As myopia progresses, the likelihood of ocular complications gradually increases, including retinal detachment, retinal neovascularization, macular degeneration, and other pathological changes.In recent years, the annual incidence of myopia has increased significantly and has become the second leading cause of blindness worldwide.Epidemiologic studies have shown that the distribution of myopia presents obvious ethnic differences and familial clustering characteristics, indicating that genetic factors play an important role in the onset and development of myopia.In addition, researchers have identified many pathogenic variants and candidate genes for myopia in patient samples, revealing the genetic and molecular mechanisms of myopia development.The genetic factor not only can serve as the independent factor that affects myopia development but also can interact with the environmental factor and together control the progression of myopia.This article reviewed the epidemiological research evidence on the heritability of myopia, the genetic factors of myopia development, and the interaction between genetic and environmental factors to provide new ideas for the prevention, control and treatment of myopia.

Reflections on the diagnosis and treatment of high myopia / 中华眼底病杂志

High myopia has become a global public health issue, posing a significant threat to visual health. There are still some problems in the process of diagnosis and treatment, including the definition of high myopia and pathological myopia, opportunities and challenges of artificial intelligence in the diagnosis and treatment system, domestic and international collaboration in the field of high myopia, the application of genetic screening in children with myopia and high myopia patients, and the exploration of new treatment methods for high myopia. Nowadays, myopia and high myopia show the characteristics of early onset age and sharp rise in prevalence, and gradually become the main cause of low vision and irreversible blindness in young and middle-aged people. Therefore, it is of great significance to accurately define high myopia and pathological myopia, combine artificial intelligence and other methods for screening and prevention, promote cooperation in different fields, strengthen gene screening for early-onset myopia and adopt new and effective ways to treat it.

An analysis of occupational health examination results of 450 radiation workers in a steel mill / 中国辐射卫生

@#<b>Objective</b> To investigate the occupational health status of 450 radiation workers in a steel mill when they resigned, and to provide references and suggestions for the occupational health monitoring of the enterprise employees and for the workers’ proper arrangement after their resignations. <b>Methods</b> Occupational health examinations were performedon 450 steel workers who were about to resign in accordance with the applicable laws and regulations. And the examination results were statistically analyzed. <b>Results</b> Among the 450 radiation workers, 82% had abnormal examination results which included chromosome aberration in peripheral blood lymphocytes (4.89%), lens opacity (44.44%), pinguecula (25.33%), hypertension (28.22%), thyroid dysfunction (9.59%), and abnormal liver ultrasound findings (30.89%). Compared with the normal population, these steel workers had a significantly higher chromosome aberration rate in peripheral blood lymphocytes and a significantly higher incidence rate of ocular disorders. <b>Conclusion</b> It is important to effectively manage the occupational health of radiation employees in steel mills, and to regularly provide training on occupational health protection. To avoid radiation damage, workers should pay close attention to radiation protection at work, especially eye protection, to avoid eye disorders.

Differential diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder and global developmental delay based on machine learning and Children Neuropsychological and Behavioral Scale / 中国当代儿科杂志

OBJECTIVES@#To investigate the efficacy and required indicators of Children Neuropsychological and Behavioral Scale-Revision 2016 (CNBS-R2016) in the differential diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and global developmental delay (GDD).@*METHODS@#A total of 277 children with ASD and 415 children with GDD, aged 18-48 months, were enrolled as subjects. CNBS-R2016 was used to assess the developmental levels of six domains, i.e., gross motor, fine motor, adaptive ability, language, social behavior, and warning behavior, and a total of 13 indicators on intelligence age and developmental quotient (DQ) were obtained as the input features. Five commonly used machine learning classifiers were used for training to calculate the classification accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity of each classifier.@*RESULTS@#DQ of warning behavior was selected as the first feature in all five classifiers, and the use of this indicator alone had a classification accuracy of 78.90%. When the DQ of warning behavior was used in combination with the intelligence age of warning behavior, gross motor, and language, it had the highest classification accuracy of 86.71%.@*CONCLUSIONS@#Machine learning combined with CNBS-R2016 can effectively distinguish children with ASD from those with GDD. The DQ of warning behavior plays an important role in machine learning, and its combination with other features can improve classification accuracy, providing a basis for the efficient and accurate differential diagnosis of ASD and GDD in clinical practice.

Research hotspots in post-discharge follow-up management of preterm infants / 中国当代儿科杂志

Preterm infants, especially those born extremely or very prematurely, are at high risk for growth retardation and neurodevelopmental disorders. Regular follow-up after discharge, early intervention, and timely catch-up growth are important guarantees for improving the quality of life of preterm infants and improving the quality of the population. This article provides an overview of the research hotspots in follow-up management of preterm infants after discharge over the past two years, including follow-up modes, nutritional metabolism and body composition follow-up, growth pattern follow-up, neurodevelopmental follow-up, early intervention, etc., in order to provide clinical guidance and research ideas for domestic peers.

Correlation Analysis of Hemolytic Transfusion Reaction Induced by Low Titer Antibody / 中国实验血液学杂志

OBJECTIVE@#To establish the diagnostic process of low titer blood group antibody in the occurrence of adverse reactions of hemolytic transfusion.@*METHODS@#Acid elusion test, enzyme method and PEG method were used for antibody identification. Combined with the patient's clinical symptoms and relevant inspection indexes, the irregular antibodies leading to hemolysis were detected.@*RESULTS@#The patient's irregular antibody screening was positive, and it was determined that there was anti-Lea antibody in the serum. After the transfusion reaction, the low titer anti-E antibody was detected by enhanced test. The patient's Rh typing was Ccee, while the transfused red blood cells were ccEE. The new and old samples of the patient were matched with the transfused red blood cells by PEG method, and the major were incompatible. The evidence of hemolytic transfusion reaction was found.@*CONCLUSION@#Antibodies with low titer in serum are not easy to be detected, which often lead to severe hemolytic transfusion reaction.

Platelet Transfusion Strategies for MASPAT-Matched Platelet Transfusion Failed Patient with Allogeneic Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation / 中国实验血液学杂志

OBJECTIVE@#To investigate the causes of ineffectiveness of platelet transfusion with monoclonal antibody solid phase platelet antibody test (MASPAT) matching in patients with allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation and explore the strategies of platelet transfusion.@*METHODS@#A case of donor-specific HLA antibodies (DSA) induced by transfusion which ultimately resulted in transplantation failure and ineffective platelet transfusion with MASPAT matching was selected, and the causes of ineffective platelet transfusion and platelet transfusion strategy were retrospectively analyzed.@*RESULTS@#The 32-year-old female patient was diagnosed as acute myeloid leukemia (high risk) in another hospital with the main symptoms of fever and leukopenia, who should be admitted for hematopoietic stem cell transplantation after remission by chemotherapy. In the course of chemotherapy, DSA was generated due to platelet transfusion, and had HLA gene loci incompatible with the donor of the first transplant, leading to the failure of the first transplant. The patient received platelet transfusion for several times before and after transplantation, and the results showed that the effective rate of MASPAT matched platelet transfusion was only 35.3%. Further analysis showed that the reason for the ineffective platelet transfusion was due to the missed detection of antibodies by MASPAT method. During the second hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, the DSA-negative donor was selected, and the matching platelets but ineffective transfusion during the primary transplantation were avoided. Finally, the patient was successfully transplanted and discharged from hospital.@*CONCLUSIONS@#DSA can cause graft failure or render the graft ineffective. For the platelet transfusion of patients with DSA, the platelet transfusion strategy with matching type only using MASPAT method will miss the detection of antibodies, resulting in invalid platelet transfusion.

Investigation and analysis of ultrasound physicians' understanding of biliary atresia / 中华肝胆外科杂志

Objective:To elucidate the current proficiency level in diagnosing pediatric biliary atresia among Chinese sonographers and to identify contributing factors that may influence their diagnostic capabilities.Methods:A cross-sectional internet-based survey was conducted from November 6, 2021, to December 12, 2021. The online questionnaire was disseminated to a national cohort of sonographers via WeChat groups. The survey encompassed three domains: demographic data of the participants, clinical and ultrasonographic knowledge pertaining to biliary atresia, and the cognitive understanding of biliary atresia. Descriptive statistics were utilized for the evaluation of demographic information and sonographers' clinical and ultrasonographic comprehension concerning biliary atresia. A generalized linear model was employed to ascertain the determinants influencing sonographers' expertise in clinical management and ultrasonographic diagnosis of biliary atresia.Results:A total of 511 valid responses were collated. Approximately 64.77% (331/511) of sonographers indicated a lack of comprehensive understanding of the essential parameters for ultrasonographic diagnosis of biliary atresia. Regression analysis revealed that sonographers affiliated with lower-tier hospitals ( β=-0.344, P=0.002), non-pediatric institutions ( β=-0.747, P=0.004), and those with less than 15 years of professional experience ( β=0.952, P<0.001) exhibited diminished proficiency in diagnosing biliary atresia. Upon encountering suspected cases, a mere 5.48% (28/511) of sonographers expressed complete confidence in their diagnostic capabilities. Lower professional grade ( β=-0.572, P<0.001) and lack of prior experience with suspected cases of biliary atresia ( β=-0.693, P<0.001) contributed to reduced diagnostic self-assurance among sonographers. Regarding the clinical and ultrasonographic intricacies associated with biliary atresia, only 3.33% (17/511) of sonographers had a full understanding of the diagnostic significance of hepatic fibrous plaques on ultrasound for biliary atresia. Conclusion:The study underscores a pervasive inadequacy in the understanding and diagnostic confidence among sonographers in relation to pediatric biliary atresia. Various pragmatic factors, including hospital tier, years of experience, and professional ranking, exert a direct impact on the sonographers' diagnostic acumen. Given these findings, there is an exigent need for targeted educational initiatives to enhance the diagnostic proficiency in biliary atresia among sonographers.

Application of phantom for dose measurement in interventional therapy for pediatric vascular anomalies / 中国辐射卫生

@#<b>Objective</b> To apply a phantom for dose measurement in interventional therapy for pediatric vascular diseases, and calculate the effective dose (<i>E</i>) and conversion coefficient of dose area product (DAP) to <i>E</i>, and to provide a dose reference for studying radiation dose and radiation protection in children. <b>Methods</b> Thermoluminescent dosimeters were placed in the organs of the phantom. Low-, medium-, and high-dose groups were set for three types of vascular anomalies based on the duration of fluoroscopy. Digital subtraction angiography was used to simulate exposure conditions at different dose levels. The organ dose was measured, and the effective dose was calculated. <b>Results</b> For the three groups of vascular anomalies in the head and face, the red bone marrow doses were 8.15, 30.34, and 43.53 mGy, respectively, the effective doses were 12.88, 47.84, and 73.12 mSv, respectively; and the average conversion coefficient of DAP to <i>E</i> was 2.16. For the three groups of vascular anomalies in the trunk, the red bone marrow doses were 2.11, 15.62, and 31.21 mGy, respectively; the effective doses were 12.39, 70.56, and 134.60 mSv, respectively, and the average conversion coefficient of DAP to <i>E</i> was 3.03. For the three groups of vascular anomalies in the lower extremities, the red bone marrow doses were 3.58, 6.50, and 12.28 mGy, respectively, the effective doses were 3.64, 7.04, and 14.85 mSv, respectively, and the average conversion coefficient of DAP to <i>E</i> was 0.73. <b>Conclusion</b> Patient dose and DAP-to-<i>E</i> conversion coefficient are in the following order: vascular anomalies in the trunk > vascular anomalies in the head and face > vascular anomalies in the lower extremities. The dose data obtained can be used to estimate children’s radiation exposure.

Sleep initiation patterns and their influence on sleep quality in infants and young children / 中国当代儿科杂志

OBJECTIVES@#To investigate the current status of sleep initiation patterns, influencing factors for sleep initiation patterns, and the influence of sleep initiation patterns on sleep quality in infants and young children.@*METHODS@#A total of 521 infants and young children, aged 0-35 months, who underwent physical examination at the outpatient service of the Department of Growth and Development in Shenzhen Bao'an Women's and Children's Hospital Affiliated to Jinan University were enrolled as subjects. A self-designed questionnaire and Brief Infant Sleep Questionnaire were used to collect the information on family background, parenting behaviors, and sleep quality in the past one week. A multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to evaluate the influencing factors for sleep initiation patterns. A multiple linear regression analysis was used to evaluate the influence of sleep initiation patterns on the number of nighttime awakenings.@*RESULTS@#Among the 521 infants and young children, 258 (49.5%) were breastfed/bottle fed to initiate sleep, 62 (11.9%) were rocked/held to initiate sleep, 39 (7.5%) slept independently, and 162 (31.1%) initiated sleep accompanied by parents. The multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that the children with breastfeeding and a younger age were more likely to be breastfed/bottle fed to initiate sleep (P<0.05) and that the children with a younger age were also more likely to be rocked/held to initiate sleep (P<0.05). The multiple linear regression analysis showed that sleep initiation with breastfeeding/bottle feeding significantly increased the number of nighttime awakenings (P<0.05).@*CONCLUSIONS@#Most infants and young children initiate sleep by being breastfed/bottle fed, rocked/held, or accompanied. The sleep initiation pattern is associated with the age of children and whether they are still breastfeeding. Sleep initiation with breastfeeding/bottle feeding can increase the number of nighttime awakenings. io.

Observation on chromosome aberration of peripheral blood lymphocytes in children with vascular diseases after interventional procedure / 中华放射医学与防护杂志

Objective:To evaluate the effect of ionizing radiation on chromosome aberration of peripheral blood lymphocytes in children with vascular interventional procedure.Methods:The chromosome aberration of peripheral blood lymphocytes was analyzed before and after vascular interventional procedure to assess the effect of low-dose ionizing radiation on chromosomes. Peripheral blood (PB) was collected using heparin as an anticoagulant from 26 patients before and after (within 10 minutes) vascular interventional surgery. Informed consent was obtained from the patients′ parents.Results:Dicentric + centric ring (dic+ r) formation increased significantly ( U=647, P<0.01) in peripheral blood lymphocytes of children after interventional operation. No correlation was observed between the rate of dic+ r and the cumulative dose (CD), dose area product (DAP), age, body weight, gender and the estimated effective dose E ( P>0.05). There was no significant difference in dic+ r rate of children between different genders, ages and lesion sites ( P>0.05). The dic+ r rate after interventional operation exceeded 40×10 -3 in 4 of 26 cases with the highest of 95.83×10 -3. Conclusions:The ionizing radiation during children′s vascular interventional procedure might lead to the increase of chromosome aberration of peripheral blood lymphocytes and some children are abnormally sensitive. Great attention should be paid to the justification and radiation protection during interventional procedure for children.