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A retrospective analysis was performed from May 2003 to October 2021 at our hospital. One hundred and eleven neonates diagnosed with gastric perforation were categorized into non-survivor and survivor groups based on prognosis. The mortality rate was 23.42%. Logistic regression was used to analyze the factors influencing the early neonatal death. The non-survivor groups showed more abdominal distension, vomiting, hypoxia, acidosis, hyperkalemia, and coagulation abnormalities. Serum potassium concentration (odds ratio [OR] 2.148, P =.043) was an independent risk factor; however, arterial partial pressure of oxygen (OR 0.977, P =.024), bicarbonate (OR 0.779, P =.023), and platelet count (OR 0.986, P =.014) had protective effects on neonatal death. Based on this, a visualized nomogram prediction model was constructed, patients who had a nomogram score of more than 163.787 was considered to have high risks of mortality, the area under the curve of this was up to 0.828 (95% confidence interval [0.733, 0.923]), the sensitivity was 80.0%, and the specificity was 76.9%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to accurately admit children with COVID-19 to an isolation ward, our study retrospectively analyzed the clinical characteristics of children in isolation wards during the COVID-19 epidemic. It was found that 55 cases (83.3%) had fever and 48 cases (72.7%) coughed in the isolated area, 31 cases (47%) had a history of exposure, 26 cases (39.4%) had a decrease in lymphocytes (LYM), more than half had an increase in lactate dehydrogenase and creatine kinase isoenzyme, 14 cases (21.2%) had positive SARS-CoV-2 nucleic acid, 58 cases (87.9%) had abnormal chest computed tomography (CT), and 11 cases (16.7%) had sinus arrhythmia. Therefore, for some suspected children with COVID-19, we can make a comprehensive judgment through clinical symptoms, epidemiological history, LYM number, myocardial enzyme spectrum, chest CT, and electrocardiogram; put these children in an isolation ward for treatment; and then transfer them to a general ward for treatment after excluding COVID-19. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Spiritual support should be offered to all patients and their families regardless of their affiliated status with an organized religion. Aim: To understand nonreligious theistic parents' spirituality and to explore how parents discuss death with their terminally ill children in mainland China. Design: Qualitative study. Setting/participants: This study was conducted in the hematology oncology center at Beijing Children's Hospital. Participants in this study included 16 bereaved parents. Results: Participants described themselves as nonreligious but showed a tendency toward a particular religion. Parents sought religious support in the face of the life-threatening conditions that affected their child and regarded the religious belief as an important way to get psychological and spiritual comfort after experiencing the death of their child. Religious support could partially address parents' spiritual needs. Parents' spiritual needs still require other supports such as bereavement services, death education, and family support groups. Some parents stated that it was difficult to find a way to discuss death with their children. For patients who come from nonreligious theistic families, their understanding of death was more complex and may be related to atheism. Conclusion: Religious support could be an element of spiritual support for nonreligious theistic parents of terminally ill children. Multiple strategies including religious supports and nonreligious supports should be rationally integrated into spiritual support of nonreligious theistic family. Patient's personal belief in death should be assessed before discussing death with them. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A correction to the article "Effects of PECS on the Emergence of Vocal Mands and the Reduction of Aggressive Behavior Across Settings for a Child with Autism," published in a previous issue is presented.

Objectives: We evaluated the outcome of adenotonsillectomy for obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) in children using polysomnography (PSG) data and a quality-of-life (QOL) instrument. Methods: We enrolled children (4 to 14 years of age) who had OSAS diagnosed by overnight PSG and who underwent both adenoidectomy and tonsillectomy between January 2003 and February 2008. All of them had completed postoperative PSG and a paired Obstructive Sleep Apnea 18-Item Quality-of-Life Questionnaire (OSA-18) survey. The statistical analyses were performed with a statistical software package. Results: The study included 84 children with a mean age of 7.1 years. The mean preoperative apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) for the study population was 24.6, and the mean postoperative AHI was 3.8 episodes per hour. The percentage of children who had normal PSG parameters after adenotonsillectomy ranged from 69.0% to 86.9% because of fluctuation of the criteria used to define OSAS. Nine children (30%) with severe preoperative OSAS had persistent OSAS (an AHI of at least 5) after surgery. Improvements in QOL were comparable in the cured and not-cured groups (p > 0.05). Risk factors for persistent OSAS were obesity and a high preoperative AHI, on multiple logistic regression analysis. Conclusions: Adenotonsillectomy is associated with improvements in PSG, behavior, and QOL in children with OSAS. However, it may not resolve OSAS in all children. The efficacy and role of additional therapeutic options require more study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. Several studies have provided ample evidence that hypertension in adults has its onset in childhood; children and adolescents with elevated blood pressure (BP) are more likely to become hypertensive adults. The present study examined the prevalence of relatively high BP among children and adolescents in Shandong, China. Subjects and methods. Data for this study were obtained from a large cross-sectional survey of schoolchildren carried out in 2010. A total of 38 860 students (19 481 boys and 19 379 girls) aged 7 to 17 years participated in this study. Relatively high BP status was defined as systolic blood pressure and/or diastolic blood pressure ≥95th percentile for age and gender. Results. Shandong children had a high BP level, with the 50th percentiles of systolic and diastolic blood pressure of children and adolescents aged 7 to 17 years in Shandong being above the reference values for Chinese children and adolescents by 3 to 12 mm Hg and 3 to 7 mm Hg for boys, and by 3 to 6 mm Hg and 3 to 5 mmHg for girls, respectively. The overall prevalence of relatively high BP was 26.22% for boys and 20.27% for girls. Conclusion. There is a high prevalence of relatively high BP among children and adolescents in Shandong, China. It has become a threatening hazard to children and adolescents and should arouse special attention. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]